Paris: Former top 10 star Lucas Pouille will make his return to Grand Slam main draw action after he successfully qualified for the French Open.
The Frenchman, currently No. 670 in the ATP Rankings, rallied past Austrian Jurij Rodionov 1-6, 7-5, 6-0 on Thursday to earn his place in the main draw.
It is the first time Pouille has won three consecutive matches at any level since September 2021. The 29-year-old thrilled his home fans with a nearly flawless third set in which he broke his opponent’s serve three times and did not face a breakpoint himself.
Two Next Gen ATP players also advanced to the main draw. Nineteen-year-old Hamad Medjedovic rallied past Jesper De Jong 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 to qualify for a major on his first attempt. All three of his wins in qualifying came in three sets.
Eighteen-year-old Shang Juncheng defeated Renzo Olivo 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to improve to two-for-two in Grand Slam qualifying. Earlier this year, the Chinese teen earned his way into the Australian Open main draw and defeated Oscar Otte in the first round.
In other action, Andrea Vavassori defeated Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-4. The 28-year-old did not lose a set in qualifying. The Italian upset former World No. 1 Andy Murray in Madrid.
Moldovan Radu Albot eliminated Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-1 to earn his seventh main draw appearance at Roland Garros. Pedro Martinez, who reached a career-high World No. 40 last May, battled past Facundo Bagnis 2-6, 7-5, 6-0. The Spaniard will compete in the tournament’s main draw for the fifth consecutive year.
Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante ousted Swiss Dominic Stricker 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 to qualify for the main draw at a major for the first time. Italian Giulio Zeppieri ousted Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-4, 6-1 to qualify for Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.
–IANS