What an exploit! Frenchman Nicolas Mahut qualified on Sunday for the second round of Roland-Garros by winning in five sets (2-6, 6-7 (8/6), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4) against Italian Marco Cecchinato, semi-finalist last year.
READ ALSO - Roland-Garros: who to beat Rafael Nadal?
After 3 h 18 min of an intense game, played in a fiery atmosphere, and during which he was led two sets from scratch and was massed several times on the back, Mahut (253rd worldwide) ended up raising his arms, to take the head with both hands and celebrate his victory with his son on the court. He wins in the end 2-6, 6-7 (8/6), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
"I will savor"
"It's an extraordinary court, especially with such an atmosphere," the player invited by the organizers told the audience. The meeting was held on the new court Simonne Mathieu, located at the bottom of the greenhouses of Auteuil. "In the fifth set, it is no longer the 15th and semi-finalist against the 250th, it's just the fight, I'm going to enjoy."
First French qualified for the second round, he will meet the Dutch Robin Haase or German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Ugo Humbert and Quentin Halys eliminated from entry. All the French did not have the same success. The young Quentin Halys, 153rd world player, could do nothing against the Japanese Kei Nishikori, 7th world. The 22-year-old, invited by the organizers, lost 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Before him, his compatriot Ugo Humbert (61st World), gave in four rounds against the Australian Alexei Popyrin (109th) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12/10), 6-3 in close three hours.