Fourth seed Dominic Thiem blew a two-set lead and slipped to a ‘very tough’ first-round loss at the French Open against Spanish veteran Pablo Andujar on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Andujar staged a remarkable comeback to defeat the two-time Roland Garros runner-up 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 after almost four-and-a-half hours on Court Philippe Chatrier.

It is Thiem’s first opening-round exit at Roland Garros and the first time he has failed to reach at least the quarter-finals of the tournament since 2015.

“It does feel very tough, as I was used since 2016 to play very deep in this tournament,” said the 27-year-old.

It is the first time in his 17-year career that Andujar has come from two sets behind to win.

“It’s a very special moment because I’m 35 and I don’t know how long I’m going to play,” said Andujar. “I had to believe to be able to get this result.”

‘Strange’ situation for Thiem : He seemed to be in total control when clinching the second set, before also missing a break point in the third game of the third set.

Thiem also wasted an opportunity to take a 3-1 lead in the decider and ended the match having taken just six of 19 break points.

Andujar, the world number 68, had not beaten a top-10 player since 2015 until a win over Roger Federer in Geneva last week.

It will be an especially bitter blow for Thiem, though, after he had been placed in the opposite half of the draw to Nadal, world number one Novak Djokovic and Federer.

Nishikori sails: Kei Nishikori showed why he is a five-set master. The former World No. 4 battled from a break down in the decider to defeat Italian Alessandro Giannessi 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round on the Parisian clay. Nishikori is now 25-7 in five-setters, which is the best record among active players, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Giannessi, a qualifier making his Roland Garros main draw debut, earned seven service breaks and led 4-2 in the deciding set. But Nishikori leaned on his experience and fighting spirit to claw back after four hours and three minutes.

The 31-year-old had a look at a forehand passing shot on his first match point, but missed. However, he did not let slip that game, and Giannessi missed a drop shot to give the World No. 49 the victory. Nishikori hit 56 winners and broke the Italian’s serve 10 times to reach the second round, as reported by ATP

‘Work in progress’: World number two Naomi Osaka let her racquet do the talking, resolutely maintaining her media boycott but briefly telling a TV interviewer that her clay court game is “a work in progress”.

Osaka was threatened with disqualification from the French Open if she continues her media boycott, officials said.

A four-time Grand Slam title winner and sport’s highest-earning female athlete, was fined $15,000 on Sunday for refusing to hold a press conference after her opening win against Patricia Maria Tig, who opened the first day of action with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Romania.

Osaka, who has never got past the third round in Paris, fired 39 winners but committed 35 unforced errors against Tig to set up a second round duel against another Romanian player, Ana Bogdan, who defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 6-1, 6-3.

Petra Kvitova, a semi-finalist in 2012 and 2020, saved a match point before seeing off Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

The 11th seeded Czech, a two-time Wimbledon champion, blitzed 43 winners but served up 11 double faults against her 125th-ranked opponent.

Three-time major winner Angelique Kerber, the German 26th seed and twice a quarter-finalist in Paris, fell at the first hurdle, losing to Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-4.

The win was a 14th successive win for the world number 139 Kalinina across all tournaments.

Agencies