BackThe French revolution
The French Open so far has been a bloodbath. We look back at some of the biggest upsets at Roland Garros over the years
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There has seldom been a French Open this unpredictable. This is the first time in the Open era (since 1968) that the top three seeds in the women’s singles draw have failed to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam. This also marks the first time in the Open era that both the men’s and women’s singles champions from the last Grand Slam have lost in the first round of the next one. China’s Li Na and Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, the winners at the Australian Open in January, lost in the first round in Paris. Switzerland’s Roger Federer, who won in Paris in 2009, also lost in the fourth round—his worst result there in 10 years.
But there have been even bigger upsets in the history of the French Open. Here are our picks.
French Open Men’s single
5.
1989, final
Michael Chang beats Stefan Edberg
6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
4.
1983, final
Yannick Noah beats Mats Wilander
6-2, 7-5, 7-6
3.
1982, 4th round
Mats Wilander beats Ivan Lendl
4-6, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
2.
2004, final
Gaston Gaudio beats Guillermo Coria
0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6
1.
2009, 4th round
Robin Söderling beats Rafael Nadal
6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2)
French Open Women’s single
5.
1999, final
Steffi Graf beats Martina Hingis
4-6, 7-5, 6-2
4.
1983, 4th round
1989, final
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario beats Steffi Graf
7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-5
Trailing 3-5 in the final set, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario came back and rallied off the final set’s last four games to claim the title. At the time, she became the youngest woman to lift the singles title at 17 years and five months. She held on to that record only for a year, before Monica Seles broke it.
3.
1997, final
Iva Majoli beats Martina Hingis
6-4, 6-2
In 1997, Hingis was unbeaten before the French Open. She had just risen to the top of the women’s rankings two months earlier, at just 16 years and six months. In the final, though, Majoli overpowered her. Later, Majoli never really lived to her potential. Apart from this win, she didn’t cross the quarter-final stage of any Slam. Hingis was quick to recover from the loss and went on to win six titles in the same year, including two Slams, to cap one of her best years on the tour.
2.
1993, quarter-final
Mary Joe Fernandez beats Gabriela Sabatini
1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 10-8
1.
1983, 4th round
Kathleen Horvath beats Martina Navratilova
6-4, 0-6, 6-3
Horvath later said she was so thrilled about the win that she lost focus, and her very next match. The pair met seven times after that day. Navratilova won them all and never lost a set.
All these matches are not equal in their order of importance.
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