Yannick Hanfmann took his unexpected chance at the French Open.
The man from Karlsruhe, who failed to qualify and only made it into the main draw as a “lucky loser”, reached the second round in Paris for the first time in his career.
Hanfmann beat the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro after an energy performance 6: 3, 7: 5, 6: 7 (6: 8), 6: 7 (2: 7), 6: 4.
In the third set, Hanfmann initially missed a match point, in the fifth he turned a 1:4 deficit. Hanfmann meets Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina (No. 23) on Thursday.
The 31-year-old had already surprised positively at the ATP Masters in Rome with a participation in the quarterfinals.