Roland-Garros: Tsitsipas breaks Musetti’s heart with comeback win

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the No 4 seed, moved into the second round of Roland-Garros by eventually beating Italian Lorenzo Musetti 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in a tough comeback victory in Tuesday’s night session.

A clearly exhausted Tsitsipas seemed very emotional after the match, which finished just after half past midnight Paris time, explaining briefly: “Something was off with my game.”

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Musetti was quick to leave the court, but he was doubtless emotional too, haunted by the knowledge that this was the second Roland-Garros match in a row where he has had a two sets to love lead – and lost. He was defeated by Novak Djokovic in Paris last year after he retired from the match due to injury in the decider.

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Conversely, Tsitsipas began his 2020 Roland-Garros campaign with another comeback win, beating Jaume Munar in five sets; it was the year he reached the semi-finals and so nearly logged another famous recovery, forcing a decider against Novak Djokovic after losing the first two sets.

“I have to really work to get things in life,” he said in the press conference. “Things don’t come easy. I refuse to give up. That’s simply how it works with me. You never really think about getting back after being two sets to love. You just play it point after point. You just wish that your efforts will pay off on a longer scale, longer run.

“You know, being in that situation is like, it’s a mountain that you have to climb, and I was able to climb it and regain the momentum steadily but consistently.”

Tsitsipas, ranked No 4, will face Czech qualifier Zdenek Kolar next.

Paris (Grand Slam): Other first-round results (Stade Roland-Garros, clay, EUR 43.600.000, most recent results first):

• Steve Johnson beat Jiri Vesely: 6-7 [4], 7-6 [4], 6-3, 6-2
• Zdenek Kolar beat Lucas Pouille (WC): 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
• Jannik Sinner (11) beat Bjorn Fratangelo (Q): 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
• Hubert Hurkacz (12) beat Giulio Zeppieri (Q): 7-5, 6-2, 7-5
• Marco Cecchinato beat Pablo Andujar: 4-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5, 6-0
• Roberto Carballes-Baena beat Oscar Otte: 7-6 [5], 6-1, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3
• Hugo Gaston beat Alex De Minaur (19): 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 [4]
• Frances Tiafoe (24) beat Benjamin Bonzi: 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 [5]
• Federico Delbonis beat Adrian Mannarino: 6-1, 7-6 [1], 6-2
• Lorenzo Sonego (32) beat Peter Gojowczyk: 6-2, 6-2, 6-1
• Andrey Rublev (7) beat Soon Woo Kwon: 6-7 [5], 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
• David Goffin beat Jiri Lehecka: 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Cristian Garin beat Tommy Paul (30): 5-7, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
• Henri Laaksonen beat Pedro Martinez Portero: 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 [1]
• Casper Ruud (8) beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (WC): 6-7 [6], 7-6 [4], 6-2, 7-6
• Richard Gasquet beat Lloyd George Harris: 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
• Alexander Bublik beat Arthur Rinderknech: 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
• Sebastian Korda (27) beat John Millman: 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 [6]
• Alex Molcan beat Federico Coria: 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
• Ilya Ivashka beat Benoit Paire: 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5
• Laslo Djere beat Ricardas Berankis: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
• Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune beat Denis Shapovalov (14): 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 [4]
• João Sousa beat Chun-Hsin Tseng (Q): 6-7 [5], 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
• Emil Ruusuvuori beat Ugo Humbert: 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 [4], 6-4, 6-2
• Daniil Medvedev (2) beat Facundo Bagnis: 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
• Novak Djokovic (1) beat Yoshihito Nishioka: 6-3, 6-1, 6-0
• Marin Čilić (20) beat Attila Balazs: 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
• Mikael Ymer beat James Duckworth: 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
• Marton Fucsovics beat Geoffrey Blancaneaux (Q): 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
• Pedro Cachin (LL) beat Norbert Gombos (Q): 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
• Miomir Kecmanovic (28) beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry: 6-3, 7-5, 6-3
• Mackenzie McDonald beat Franco Agamenone (LL): 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 [3]
• Rafael Nadal (5) beat Jordan Thompson: 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
• Daniel Evans (29) beat Francisco Cerundolo: 7-6 [3], 6-4, 6-4
• Cameron Norrie (10) beat Manuel Guinard (WC): 7-5, 6-2, 6-0
• Corentin Moutet (WC) beat Stan Wawrinka: 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 [2], 6-3
• Nikoloz Basilashvili (22) beat Maxime Cressy: 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 [8], 6-4, 6-4
• Brandon Nakashima beat Kamil Majchrzak: 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 [3], 6-2
• Sebastian Baez beat Dusan Lajovic: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
• Taylor Harry Fritz (13) beat Santiago Fa Rodriguez Taverna (Q): 7-6 [2], 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
• Filip Krajinovic beat Reilly Opelka (17): 7-6 [5], 6-2, 6-3
• Borna Gojo (Q) beat Alessandro Giannessi (LL): 6-4, 6-7 [3], 6-7 [4], 7-6 [4], 6-4
• Carlos Alcaraz (6) beat Juan Ignacio Londero (LL): 6-4, 6-2, 6-0
• Bernabe Zapata Miralles (Q) beat Michael Mmoh (WC): 7-6 [7], 6-3, 7-5
• Jason Murray Kubler (Q) beat Denis Kudla: 7-6 [5], 7-6 [2], 7-6 [3]
• Alexander Zverev (3) beat Sebastian Ofner (Q): 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
• Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Q) beat Aslan Karatsev: 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 [5]
• Albert Ramos Vinolas beat Thanasi Kokkinakis: 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 [5]
• Karen Khachanov (21) beat Nuno Borges (Q): 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Fabio Fognini beat Alexei Popyrin: 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
• Tallon Griekspoor beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (25): 2-6, 6-0, 6-4, 6-3
• Pablo Cuevas beat Jenson Brooksby (31): 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
• Felix Auger-Aliassime (9) beat Juan Pablo Varillas Patino-Samudio (Q): 2-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
• John Isner (23) beat Quentin Halys: 7-6 [3], 4-6, 7-6 [1], 7-6 [6]
• Botic van de Zandschulp (26) beat Pavel Kotov (Q): 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
• Gregoire Barrere (WC) beat Taro Daniel: 3-6, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4
• Diego Schwartzman (15) beat Andrey Kuznetsov (Q): 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
• Hugo Dellien beat Dominic Thiem: 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
• Jaume Munar beat Daniel Altmaier: 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
• Borna Coric beat Carlos Taberner: 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1
• Grigor Dimitrov (18) beat Marcos Giron: 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
• Aljaz Bedene beat Christopher O’Connell (WC): 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 [5], 6-1