A story about tennis. - Altmaier triumphs in marathon duel in Paris, while Marterer carries on.
Tennis player Daniel Altmaier advanced to the French Open's second round after a long, grueling match against Serbian Laslo Djere, which ended at around 1 am. The 25-year-old from Kempen emerged victorious with a score of 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 5-7, 7-6 (10-6) after an intense 5 hours and 4 minutes on the court. Altmaier took on this challenge, becoming the second German tennis pro to make it to the next level.
Maximilian Marterer was the first to make it through, easily defeating Australian Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2, 6-0. The 28-year-old has not overcome a first-round hurdle at a Grand Slam tournament on clay since 2018. In the second round, Marterer will face Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs. After his win, he stated, "I was a bit nervous at first, but I got better as I went along." When asked about the long rain delay that occurred at the start of the third set, he simply replied, "I tried not to let myself down, to keep the tension high so I could get back into it right away when it started again."
In the female competition, there were no German winners on Sunday. Eva Lys, a debutant, came extremely close to an upset victory against 21st-ranked Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia. Lys put up a strong fight on Court Philippe Chatrier but ultimately succumbed to Garcia's more extensive experience on the court in this match.
Garcia will move forward to face Sofia Kenin in the second round. The 2019 Australian Open winner from the United States defeated Germany's Laura Siegemund 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Other female players, like Jule Niemeier (6-0, 2-6, 4-6 against Chinese Xinyu Wang) and Tatjana Maria from Bad Saulgau (2-6, 3-6 against Dane Clara Tauson), also lost in their first round matches.
Despite her first-time appearance in the main draw for the French Open, Lys didn't appear nervous in her match against Garcia. She boldly challenged her higher-ranked opponent, taking advantage of Garcia's mistakes. Unfortunately, her experience couldn't match that of the Frenchwoman.
Lys revealed last month that she has been grappling with a rheumatic autoimmune disease, a life condition she has had to manage in addition to the usual sporting challenges. "This is a physical challenge that I have to deal with every day, on top of the sporting strain," she explained.
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Source: www.stern.de
