Filip Misolic triumphed in the first round of the French Open against Otto Virtanen, the same player who had earlier defeated Dominic Thiem in the qualifiers. The 22-year-old from Styria staged a remarkable comeback, overturning a two-set deficit and a 0-4 score in the fourth set.
The Finnish player almost became a bane for Austrian players in Paris. After defeating Thiem in the second qualifying round, Virtanen looked poised for another victory against Misolic. However, the Styrian fought back fiercely, eventually securing a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.
The match, relocated to Court 11, benefited from excellent conditions. Virtanen played more aggressively, while Misolic committed fewer errors. The turning point came midway through the third set: Misolic took a 4-2 lead, lost his serve in the seventh game, but immediately broke back and served out the set.
Virtanen then won four consecutive games, but Misolic broke back to make it 1-4, and then again to make it 3-4. With six straight game wins, the Austrian leveled the match at two sets each.
In the deciding set, Virtanen appeared physically exhausted, yet his groundstrokes remained potent. Misolic, however, maintained the pressure and clinched his place in the second round of his Grand Slam debut. His next opponent will be Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, who defeated Germany's Yannick Hanfmann.
This victory followed another remarkable comeback by Styrian player Sebastian Ofner, who also battled through a five-set thriller against Terence Atmane. Ofner is set to face Sebastian Baez on Wednesday. The Argentine, the 2023 champion at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, struggled through five sets against Brazilian qualifier Gustavo Heide.
Summary
- Misolic overcame a two-set deficit and a 0-4 score in the fourth set.
- The match featured excellent conditions on Court 11.
- Virtanen initially played more aggressively, but Misolic’s fewer errors and determination led to victory.
- Misolic's next opponent is Francisco Cerundolo.
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