French Open: Medvedev shocked by wildcard Walton in first round

Former world number one Daniil Medvedev is stunned by Australia’s Adam Walton in the opening round at Roland Garros.Daniil Medvedev could not avoid the ⁠French Open ⁠first-round trapdoor as he fell 6-2 1-6 6-1 1-6 6-4 to Australian wildcard Adam Walton in a match marked by sharp swings in momentum on the Parisian clay.The former world ⁠number one had fallen at the first hurdle in six of his previous nine appearances at the clay court Grand Slam, highlighting his uneasy relationship with Roland Garros and ‌the sport’s slowest surface.Medvedev showed early signs of frustration on Tuesday when he dropped serve and then allowed Walton to build a 4-2 lead in the opening set, which the 30-year-old relinquished with a forehand that sailed over the baseline.The recovery was swift ⁠and emphatic as Medvedev regained his ⁠rhythm to wrest control by claiming the next set at the loss of only one game, but the sixth seed could not ⁠maintain his grip and let the third set slip away.World number 97 ⁠Walton, who was seeking a first ⁠win over a top-10 player, surrendered the fourth set but fought on bravely in the decider to break back at 4-4, before ‌producing a tight hold and then dismissing Medvedev for a famous victory.“It’s huge,” Walton said of the victory in his on-court interview, adding that a win over Medvedev in Cincinnati last year had given him the confidence to repeat the ‌feat.“I knew I could do it and I believed, so I’m just happy with my performance. I’m really excited right now.“It was such an up-and-down match. I’m pretty tired right now. I got off to a hot start, and I felt like the ebbs ‌and flows of the match were quite large.