Week one of Roland Garros was one of the most chaotic in recent Grand Slam history, particularly on the men\u2019s side, which will crown a first-time major champion in seven days\u2019 time. <\/p>\n
With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with a wrist injury, and Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic<\/a> both suffering early exits in Paris, the men\u2019s tournament is wide open and every single player feels like he has a chance to grab the title.<\/p>\n The emergence of such a rare opportunity where players of the ATP are in a Grand Slam draw that does not include the three men who have combined to win the last 15 consecutive majors<\/a> has not necessarily been met with a clutch attitude. <\/p>\n Madison Keys described it perfectly in her post-win press conference on Saturday, as she had to wait for Matteo Berrettini and Francisco Comesana spar for five hours and 13 minutes before she was able to step on Court Simonne-Mathieu for her three-set victory over ninth-seeded Victoria Mboko. <\/p>\n Ironically, that wasn\u2019t even the longest match of the day. That honour went to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who beat Martin Landaluce in five hours and 58 minutes to reach the fourth round. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we’ve seen in the men’s scores today that they’re all really worried about who is going to be in the finals and not on the match today. So we’ve seen lots of men’s tennis today,\u201d joked Keys, referring to the slew of marathon matches that took place on Saturday. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like their anxiety is slowly seeping into everyone’s lives, so hopefully they can make it through that and feel a little bit better and stop worrying about the final Sunday and worrying about, you know, today, tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Of the 16 men\u2019s third-round matches that took place on Friday and Saturday, a record nine have gone to five sets. Paris\u2019 terre battue has become the land of opportunity but it\u2019s such an unfamiliar feeling, it\u2019s almost like they don\u2019t know what to do with it. <\/p>\n Add to that that there\u2019s been an oppressive heatwave<\/a> all week, with temperatures staying in the 30s, even at night. Every battle out there is a nerves-fest, with match points coming and going like they\u2019re being served up on a merry-go-round. <\/p>\n Eighth-seeded Alex de Minaur could not hide his frustration after he lost to 26th-seeded Jakub Mensik in the third round on Friday, losing in four sets to the young Czech despite handing him an opening-set bagel. <\/p>\n \u201cObviously where I’m sitting right now, I feel like it’s a wasted opportunity,\u201d conceded the Aussie, who lost to Sinner, Alcaraz or Djokovic at five Grand Slams since 2022. <\/p>\n \u201cThere’s not many times you get these types of opportunities. Or even in my career, I feel like I haven’t really been handed too many of these opportunities. Normally I’m at the tail-end of tournaments, I’m playing these top players, and it feels like the door has been kind of shut in front of me. <\/p>\n \u201cOnce in a blue moon you get an opportunity like this, and you have to be able to take it, and I did exactly the opposite today.\u201d<\/p>\n Frances Tiafoe toughed out a four-hour comeback from 2-0 down in the early hours of Sunday morning to beat Portugal\u2019s Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 6-2 and reach the last-16 stage. <\/p>\n That came just two days after the American 19th seed squeezed past Hubert Hurkacz in a four-hour 43-minute five setter. Tiafoe was starting to cramp when he came to speak to journalists in the mixed zone under Court Philippe Chatrier at 1am but couldn\u2019t stop grinning, obviously proud of the courage he\u2019s been showing in a sweltering Paris<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cCrazy, crazy. Unbelievable to get through. Second time in my career I’ve came back from two sets to love down. And, definitely the biggest time I’ll ever do it. Considering\u2026 right? It’s obvious why I say that. So, I couldn’t be happier, man,\u201d said the 28-year-old. <\/p>\n