Daniil Medvedev's French Open misery continues with another first-round exit

Daniil Medvedev once again fell victim to the French Open's first-round trapdoor, losing 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 to Australian wildcard Adam Walton on Tuesday in a wildly fluctuating contest on the Paris clay.

In Short

• Daniil Medvedev suffered a loss in the first round at the French Open again
• Australian wildcard Adam Walton stunned Daniil Medvedev in five sets
• This is Medvedev's seventh first-round exit in 10 Roland Garros attempts

Daniil Medvedev's miserable record at the French Open continued on Tuesday as the former world No. 1 crashed out in the opening round once again, suffering a five-set defeat to Australian wildcard Adam Walton at Roland Garros.

The sixth seed went down 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in a dramatic contest that swung wildly in momentum before Walton held his nerve in the deciding set to secure the biggest win of his career.

The defeat marked the seventh time Medvedev has lost in the first round in 10 appearances in Paris, underlining his long-standing struggles on clay and particularly at Roland Garros. Despite being a former US Open champion and six-time Grand Slam finalist, the Russian has never looked entirely comfortable on the sport's slowest surface.

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Medvedev endured a frustrating start as Walton broke early and raced to a 4-2 lead in the opening set. The Russian's irritation was visible as errors crept into his game, and the Australian closed out the set comfortably after a Medvedev forehand sailed long.

As has often been the case throughout Medvedev's career, the response was immediate. The 30-year-old rediscovered his rhythm in emphatic fashion, dominating the second set and conceding just one game to level the match.

But consistency again proved elusive. Walton, ranked No. 97 in the world, raised his level in the third set and punished Medvedev's erratic serving and movement on clay to move ahead once more. Medvedev forced a decider after another one-sided set in his favour, yet the momentum shifted again in a chaotic match filled with abrupt swings.

With the fifth set tied at 4-4, Walton produced the decisive moment by breaking Medvedev's serve before holding firm under pressure. The Australian then completed the upset by breaking the Russian to love in the final game, sealing a memorable victory after three hours and 22 minutes.

The result continued a worrying Grand Slam trend for Medvedev, who has now suffered four first-round exits in his last five major appearances. His only deep run in that period came at the Australian Open earlier this year, where he reached the fourth round.

Medvedev's clay-court season has mirrored his inconsistency. He suffered a shocking 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo but later showed encouraging form in Rome, reaching the semi-finals and pushing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner to three sets.

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