Jannik Sinner has been defeated at the 2023 French Open in a five-set thriller that had tennis fans at the ends of their seats.
It took nearly five hours and thirty minutes (the fifth-longest match in Roland Garros history) and required five match points for German Daniel Altmaier, currently ranked 79th in the world, to take out the Italian 8th-ranked Sinner.
Both men had opportunities to close out the match earlier but could not capitalize.
Sinner had two match points in the fourth set, and Altmaier needed two service games serving for the match to get the job done.
There were some great rallies and at times Altmaier was playing so deep in the court that he nearly collided with the lines people who are usually positioned against the wall.
Sinner, at times in the fifth set especially, looked tired.
He has been plagued with illness and injury this spring which required him to pull out of Madrid mid-tournament and not play in Barcelona.
The 21-year-old Sinner, a 2020 French Open quarterfinalist, gave it his all in the end, but it was not enough.
Altmaier’s Emotions Took Hold
As he sat in his chair after winning the match, exhaustion and emotion took over.
Altmaier’s eyes filled with tears as he looked over to his player’s box.
He was probably reflecting on his 2022 U.S. Open first-round match against Sinner, another five-set marathon that Sinner won.
What’s Next For Altmaier
Besides some much-needed rest, the 24-year-old Altmaier faces 32-year-old Bulgarian No. 28 Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.
Altmaier has never won an ATP title in his career, and he is looking to outperform his previous career best at the French Open which was advancing to the fourth round.
Clay is obviously his favorite surface as he has never gotten beyond the first round at any of the other Grand Slam tournaments.
Conclusion
The Nadal-less French Open has provided some interesting early-round matches, and seeded players have lost surprisingly early.
Five of the Top 20 players are already out of the tournament.
In addition to Sinner, they are No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 19 Roberto Bautista Agut, and No. 20 Dan Evans.
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