Aussie breakthrough delivers two big firsts
Unheralded Aussie Adam Walton made it through to the second round of the French Open for the first time with an epic five-set win at Roland Garros to join compatriots Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin.
As Thanasi Kokkinakis, who is enduring another stint on the sidelines after pectoral reattachment surgery, revealed he didn't know when he'd be back on court, Walton
rode the rollercoaster in a 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3 2-6 6-2 victory over German qualifier Maximilian Marterer.
For the 26-year-old Queenslander, it was not only the first five-set win of his professional career but also his first singles win at Roland Garros.
It took three hours and 37 minutes to achieve the breakthrough, which set up a second round clash with No.17 seed Andrey Rublev, finishing the match off with an ace.
'I told myself I've got to hit it,' said Walton, who also won his opening doubles match on a big day.
'Obviously, I hit a pretty good one and obviously the feeling to win that match was very cool.'
'I felt like physically. I was battling a little bit in the fourth (set),' conceded Walton, who was able to regroup at that stage after taking a brief break off the court.
'I came out with a bit more energy and I told myself, 'You got to go for it again and it's one more set. That's all you've got to play'.
'Luckily, I got off to a good start and was able just to keep holding on.'
Walton joined both de Minaur and Popyrin on the winners' list, but compatriot Olivia Gadecki went down to second seed Coco Gauff on centre court, a match delayed after the American forgot to pack her racquets.
'They were supposed to be in my bag,' she told the chair umpire before a ball boy was dispatched to find them, blaming her coach for the mistake.
'When I opened the first zipper. I was like, 'OK, no racquets'. The second zipper, I was like, 'Oh my God!'
'Honestly, as long as I've been on tour, my coach has always put the racquets in the bag before the match because he's very superstitious,' she laughed. 'I'm blaming it on him! It's OK.'
Kokkinakis, 29, is part of the commentary team for Channel 9's broadcast of Roland Garros in Australia.
He told the Sit-Down podcast that he was riding this latest bump with a positive attitude.
'I'm sure when I'm ready I'll be keen to get back into it,' he said.
'It's weird obviously missing these big events at the moment (like Roland Garros), but it's something that I've done a lot of times in the past, and it's just part of my journey, I guess.
'Another setback, but I'll get there.'
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