French Open 2023: 3 biggest upsets on Day 5, ft. Jannik Sinner
The fifth day of the French Open on Thursday saw its fair share of thrills and upsets.
The likes of Frances Tiafoe, Francisco Cerundolo, Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff sealed their places in the third round, beating Aslan Karatsev, Yannick Hanfmann, Oceane Dodin and Julia Grabher, respectively. However, a few other seeds were not as lucky.
So, without further ado, here's a look at the top three seeds who bit the dust on the fifth day of the French Open on Thursday:
#1 Jannik Sinner (2020 French Open quarterfinalist)
Eighth seed Jannik Sinner was one of the in-form players arriving at the French Open this year.
The 21-year-old has been an epitome of consistency this season, performing well across surfaces. Coming into Roland Garros off a semifinal run at Miami and last eight in Barcelona, Sinner was looking to reach the second week at the claycourt Major for the fourth time in as many appearances. However, he met his match in unseeded German Daniel Altmaier.
Sinner drew first blood by taking a closely contested first set in a tiebreak, where he didn't drop a point. However, Altmaier levelled proceedings by taking the second set after another tiebreak.
Sinner took control of proceedings by taking the third set for the loss of just one game. The Italian looked set to go past the finish line when he served for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set and arrived at two match points. However, Altmaier saved them both before winning his second tiebreak of the match to force a decider.
This time, it was Altmaier's turn to blink, as he failed to serve out victory at 5-4. However, he broke the 2020 French Open quarterfinalist and arrived at three straight match points, but Sinner saved them all and then a fourth as well. The Italian had two break points twice to force a deciding set tiebreak, but Altmaier held his nerve and won the match in five hours and 26 minutes.
In the longest men's singles match at the French Open since 2020, Altmaier dazzled with his single-handed backhand and won an impressive 78% of net points. He said after the win:
“Playing every point you can with the best effort, that’s what keeps you in reality,” Altmaier said, when asked how he kept his cool to save Sinner’s match points. “I was just thinking that, and the competition says it all. We’ve had historic matches with so many match points. … I don’t know if you can call this an ‘historical’ match, but I think it was one to remember.”
Incidentally, Altmaier's only other meeting with Sinner - at the 2022 US Open - had also gone the distance, with the Italian emerging victorious in the end. Altmaier will now face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.
#2 Madison Keys
Madison Keys was another high-profile casualty on the fifth day of the French Open.
The 20th seed lost to compatriot Kayla Day, a qualifier, who reached the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time. Day started strongly, taking the first set for the loss of just two games, but Keys levelled proceedings by taking the second, 6-4.
Day - who holds an American and Czech passport - reasserted herself in the contest, dropping only four games in the decider to reach the Round of 32.
Kayla Day, who won the 2016 US Open junior title, joked that the reason for her success is that she's half Czech:
"I have a Czech passport, which is very helpful when I come to Europe. My mom, she was born and raised in Prague, and I speak fluent Czech. That's the only reason why I'm good at tennis, because I'm half Czech."
Following the first top-20 win of her career, Day will face Anna Karolina Schmiedlova for a place in the second week of the French Open.
#3 Donna Vekic
Twenty-second seed Donna Vekic was another seeded casualty on the fifth day of the French Open on Thursday.
Vekic made a good start against Bernarda Pera, taking the opening set for the loss of just three games. However, Pera came storming back into the contest, levelling proceedings by taking the second set. It was more of the same in the deciding set, with Pera losing only three games to book her place in the Round of 32.
In the previous round, Vekic had beaten Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska, while Pera took care of Estonia's Anett Kontaveit, with both players winning their matches in straight sets.
The American left-hander is now into the third round at back-to-back Grand Slam events, having done so for the first time at the Australian Open earlier this year. Pera will face Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the third round.