Five-Set City! Hurkacz & Khachanov Win Five-Setters In R1 At Roland Garros

It has not taken long for five-setters to pop up in Paris. Hubert Hurkacz and Karen Khachanov both won in five on Sunday to reach the second round at Roland Garros.

In a battle of former Top 10 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, 13th seed Hurkacz battled past 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 after three hours and 37 minutes. It is the second consecutive year Hurkacz has defeated Goffin at the clay-court major (R32 in 2022).

The Polish star has earned plenty of experience in five-setters this year. Three of his four matches at the Australian Open went to a decider (2-1) and now he is through in five in the first round at Roland Garros.

Both men earned six service breaks in the match. But in the decider, Hurkacz hit 12 winners compared to four for Goffin. The Pole will next play another five-set winner, Tallon Griekspoor. The Dutchman defeated Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez 6-4, 2-6, 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.

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Khachanov rallied from two sets down to eliminate home favourite Constant Lestienne 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. The 11th-seeded Khachanov has reached back-to-back major semi-finals and kept alive his hopes of another deep run after three hours and 41 minutes.

The 27-year-old, who has happy memories in Paris from his ATP Masters 1000 victory five years ago at Paris-Bercy on indoor hard courts, hit 57 winners to surge past Lestienne. The Frenchman battled hard on Court Suzanne-Lenglen and tried to use the French crowd to his advantage, but struggled physically in the middle of the match.

Khachanov will next face Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot, who beat American wild card Patrick Kypson 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Khachanov and Albot will meet for the first time in the second round.