The bottom half of the men’s draw was turned on its head Tuesday afternoon when Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild outlasted No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(5) 6-7(6) 2-6 6-3 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The win was far and away Seyboth Wild’s biggest of his career. Up to this point, he had a 2-8 record against Top 60-ranked players. He becomes the first player to defeat the No. 2 seed in the first round of the French Open since 2000.
The four-hour, 15-minute battle between Seyboth Wild and Medvedev had its fair share of ebbs and flows. Despite this being the Brazilians’ first French Open match, he played with controlled aggression from the opening game. Seyboth Wild was not concerned with who was across the net from him but instead focused on what he could control.
The World No. 172 came into the match with a clear strategy he was able to execute.
“Walking on court I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well,” noted the Brazilian.
He finished the match with 69 winners and was able to win 38 of 55 net points (69%). Medvedev is a player that rarely looks uncomfortable or out of place on a tennis court, but Seyboth Wild made him feel both of these things on Tuesday.
“My feeling was that he played well,” said Medvedev after the match. “You know, I don’t think I played that bad, but he played well.”
Coming off a title in Rome, Medvedev was one of the favorites to raise The Musketeers’ Cup in Paris. With him now ousted from the tournament, the already light bottom half of the draw becomes even more wide open.
What’s Next for Thiago Seyboth Wild?
In Medvedev’s section, No. 15 seed Borna Coric and No. 18 Alex de Minaur now look like the favorites to reach the French Open quarterfinals for the first time. No. 8 seed Jannik Sinner is the new favorite to win the quarter, with No. 12 seed Frances Tiafoe, No. 22 seed Alexander Zverev, and No. 28 seed Grigor Dimitrov all as capable challengers.
No. 4 seed Casper Ruud and No. 6 seed Holger Rune are the highest remaining seeds in the bottom half of the draw and are the co-favorites to reach the final in Paris.
As for Seyboth Wild, the 23-year-old Brazilian matches up with Guido Pella in Round 2. The Argentine played a five-set thriller of his own in Round 1 but has won just five matches all season. This is a very winnable encounter, given the confidence he is playing with. From there, a third-round match against the winner of Yoshihito Nishioka and Max Purcell would be all that is standing in the way of Seyboth Wild and a spot in the final 16 at Roland Garros.
This dream win could very well turn into a dream run for Thiago Seyboth Wild in Paris.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
