Paris, May 29: Roland-Garros 2025 delivered another dramatic day of tennis on Wednesday as Alexander Bublik and Henrique Rocha mounted thrilling five-set comebacks to advance to the third round, while two-time finalist Casper Ruud made a shock exit, hampered by a lingering knee injury.
Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik turned his fortunes around in spectacular fashion, recovering from two sets down to oust ninth seed Alex De Minaur 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in a gripping contest. De Minaur looked in complete control early, showcasing pace and precision to dominate the first two sets. But Bublik, known for his mercurial style, found his rhythm in the third set with a mix of drop shots, booming serves, and fearless winners that completely disrupted the Australian’s rhythm.
From the third set onwards, Bublik played with newfound confidence, dictating play and overpowering De Minaur, who struggled to keep up with the Kazakh’s unpredictable shot-making. The turnaround was complete after three hours and 14 minutes, as Bublik sealed his victory on the first match point. He now faces Portuguese qualifier Henrique Rocha in the third round.
Rocha, ranked 200 in the world and making his Grand Slam main draw debut, also pulled off a sensational comeback on Court 7, stunning Miami ATP Masters champion Jakub Mensik 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The 20-year-old displayed maturity and resilience far beyond his years, maintaining composure under pressure to become one of the breakout stories of the tournament so far.While Rocha and Bublik celebrated career-defining wins, it was heartbreak for world No. 7 Casper Ruud. A finalist in Paris in 2022 and 2023, Ruud was visibly hampered by a left knee injury during his second-round match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges, losing 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0. Ruud admitted post-match that the pain, which first flared up during Monte Carlo in April, has plagued him throughout the clay season. Despite taking anti-inflammatories and attempting to manage the issue, Ruud said the discomfort worsened mid-match, particularly on open-stance backhands, ultimately derailing his campaign.
With the win, Borges becomes the first Portuguese man to reach the third round of the French Open.Elsewhere on Day 5, defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek comfortably progressed. Alcaraz bounced back after dropping the second set to beat Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, while Swiatek cruised past Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-2, extending her Roland-Garros winning streak to 23 matches.
Aryna Sabalenka also looked strong with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Jil Teichmann. Other notable winners included Jasmine Paolini, Zheng Qinwen, and Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. Among the men, Holger Rune, Tommy Paul, Lorenzo Musetti, and Alexei Popyrin advanced, while Stefanos Tsitsipas became the latest seed to fall, losing to unseeded Matteo Gigante.Looking ahead, Thursday’s lineup features Novak Djokovic’s second-round clash against France’s Corentin Moutet, a potentially electric encounter set for Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Local legend Richard Gasquet may play his final match against top seed Jannik Sinner, while Jack Draper faces Gael Monfils under the lights in Chatrier. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Mirra Andreeva will also be in action as the second round concludes. (AP)
