Australian world number nine Alex De Minaur and Czech 19th seed Jakub Mensik both exited Roland Garros on Thursday – and both after winning the first two sets.
De Minaur lost 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 to 62nd-ranked Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, a talented but often temperamental payer.
Bublik said afterwards he had already accepted defeat before mounting a comeback.
“I was checking the tickets [home] already in my head. I didn’t really care, in a way. I was like I will accept the loss,” the 27-year-old said.
“It was a bit early for me. I was a bit sleepy in the first two sets. So it was key to wake up and then to play one of the best Slam matches that I ever played in my life.”
Bublik will now face Portugal’s world number 200 Henrique Rocha, who surprisingly beat Mensik.
Rocha, who came through qualifying and had never won a main-draw match at a major before this year’s French Open, triumphed 2-6 1-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 against talented 19-year-old Mensik.
