Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild stuns Daniil Medvedev in first round

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Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil won the biggest match of his career on Tuesday, defeating World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller at Roland Garros. Seyboth Wild made his Paris debut but showed no signs of nerves on Court Philippe Chatrier, swinging freely throughout the four-hour, 15-minute match to defeat the second seed 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The World No. 172 hit 69 winners and overcame two set points in the second-set tie-break to win his first main-draw major. “I have watched Daniil play for my entire junior career, up until today. Playing on this court against this kind of player and beating him is a dream come true,” Seyboth Wild said. “Walking on court I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well.”

Seyboth Wild, who has two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, was playing in his first tour-level match of the year. In the second round, he will face either Frenchman Quentin Halys or Guido Pella, who he defeated in the first round. “It was pretty tough. I started cramping in the second set. I did my best and tried to play my best tennis and it worked,” Seyboth Wild said. “I am really happy with the way I played.”

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Medvedev arrived in Paris after winning his first clay-court title in Rome, and he would have hoped for a smooth start to his title defence at the clay-court major. Seyboth Wild, on the other hand, had other plans. From the first ball, the Brazilian was locked in, hitting through Medvedev with his baseline power. The 23-year-old played fearless tennis throughout, winning 69% of net points (38/55) and holding his nerve in a tense deciding set, closing out victory on serve with a destructive forehand winner. Following his stunning victory, Seyboth Wild raised his arms in joy, soaking in the applause from the packed crowd.

Medvedev, who has a 39-6 record this season, was vying for his second major championship. In 2023, the 2021 US Open champion has a Tour-leading five trophies, including ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Rome. The 27-year-old is leading the ATP Live Race to Turin, but he could be overtaken in Paris by Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.