French Open: Monfils completes two-sets comeback to enter Rd-2

Gael Monfils suffered a scary fall in the early stages of his first-round match at the French Open, but showed his fighting spirit in a courageous comeback at his home Slam as recovered from two sets down to beat Hugo Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1 in a dramatic battle.
For just the third time in his long career, the 38-year-old came from two-sets-to-love down to win — and for the first time at Roland Garros — thrilling the home crowd in a match that ended past midnight.
In a three-hour, 34-minute thriller, the right-hander completed a comeback by winning three consecutive sets for the first time in a decade, having last done it to beat fellow Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the first round of the Australian Open in 2015.
Monfils’ escape was a milestone win for several reasons. It was his 40th Roland Garros victory, tying him with Yannick Noah for most wins at the event among Frenchmen in the Open era.
Twelve of those successes have come in five sets — an Open era record, too. He had previously been tied with Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in that category.
Every time I play Roland-Garros it’s magical. I had a run-in with the (courtside signage), I had a little scare, and it took me a while to come back because of the pressure,” Monfils said in an on-court interview.
Monfils will next play No.5 seed Jack Draper in the second round on Thursday.
Fonseca is 2nd-youngest Roland Garros match winner after Alcaraz
Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca made a sparkling Roland Garros debut when he ousted the in-form Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, becoming the second-youngest match winner at the clay-court major in the past 10 years.
The 18-year-old is the second-youngest match winner at the clay-court major in the past 10 years, only behind an 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in 2021, according to ATP stats.
Still several months shy of his 19th birthday, Fonseca displayed zero nerves against Hurkacz and played emphatic tennis from the start, breaking serve twice in the first set and then again to start the second, with a beautiful cross court volley that brought the faithful out of their seats.
Fonseca now boasts an 11-7 tour-level season record, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index. At the Australian Open, he earned a memorable first main-draw win at a major by stunning ninth seed Andrey Rublev. Fonseca won his maiden tour-level title the following month in Buenos Aires, according to ATP.
The Brazilian will next face French veteran Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 16 years his senior. Earlier, Jack Draper’s clay-court evolution continued when he overcame a tricky start to notch his maiden match win at Roland Garros.
The fifth seed overcame Mattia Bellucci 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in heavy conditions under the Court Suzanne-Lenglen roof, which was closed due to steady rain in the French capital.
Draper is looking to add a first Grand Slam title to his maiden Masters 1000 crown, which he won in March in Indian Wells.