Aussie battler Adam Walton has claimed the biggest win of his tennis career by beating world No.8 Daniil Medvedev in the first round of the French Open.
The Queensland wildcard came back from 2-4 down in the final set to shock an out-of-sorts Medvedev in the Russian’s seventh first-round loss at the tournament.
Medvedev’s disastrous afternoon on Court Suzanne Lenglen was made even worse after he was involved in a concerning verbal exchange with his wife, Daria.
The scorching Paris conditions saw the 2021 US Open champion struggle and lose his cool before his wife attempted to put him in his place.
‘It’s hot for everyone. We’re all suffering from it. You have to behave,’ Daria said.
A defiant Medvedev replied, ‘When I start putting the ball in, I’ll start behaving.’
World No.97 Adam Walton (pictured) has shocked the tennis world by beating World No.8 Daniil Medvedev at Roland Garros
The 2021 US Open champion (pictured) was out of sorts from the get-go – and fell to his seventh first-round loss in 10 appearances at the tournament
Medvedev and his wife Daria (pictured together) were involved in an icy exchange as he struggled with the scorching conditions
Walton’s incredible victory is his second over Medvedev after beating him at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 event last year.
‘It’s huge,’ Walton said post-match.
‘That win in Cincinnati definitely gave me belief.
‘I hung tough, I believed and I’m really excited. To get a first top-10 win at a slam is pretty epic.’
The world No.97 had to fight back from 2-4 down in the fifth set, after Medvedev threatened to put him away.
But in the end, Walton claimed a 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory, which was his first top-10 scalp in any major tournament.
Walton reckoned that after four curiously uneven stanzas, he was ‘proud’ of rallying in the fifth set from 3-1 down when not knowing ‘which version’ of Medvedev was going to materialise.
The world No.97 felt the key was saving two break points with the Russian on the verge of going 4-1 up.
‘I knew I just had to fight,’ he shrugged.
Elsewhere, Kimberly Birrell also stormed to a surprise win in Paris.
The 28-year-old Aussie claimed a come-from-behind three-set victory against No.5 seed Jessica Pegula.
If six Aussies GOING through to the second round wasn’t good enough news, main man Alex de Minaur was given a walkover into the third round following the withdrawal of his dangerous second-round opponent Alexander Blockx with a right ankle sprain.
‘As Aussies we really do cheer each other on,” Birrell said.
‘I’m good friends with Adam, and his coach has helped me out in my career.
‘I was following his match and when I saw he’d won, I saw them and was super happy for him.’
