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Lots of the 12 months’s most memorable upsets got here on the Grand Slam levels, together with massive wins from a house favorite on the Australian Open and a pair of rising stars on the US Open.
As we proceed to look again on the 2023 season, ATPTour.com counts down the 5 greatest shocks on the majors this 12 months — all of which got here in 5 units.
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5) Roland Garros R1, Seyboth Wild d. Medvedev 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Brazilian qualifier and Roland Garros debutant Thiago Seyboth Wild scored his first Grand Slam main-draw win in type with a upset of second seed Daniil Medvedev — who entered on a six-match clay-court successful streak after claiming his first tour-level title on the floor in Rome.
Coming into the match at No. 172 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, an aggressive Seyboth Wild made a dream begin and held two set factors for a two-set lead. However after cramping earlier within the second set, the 23-year-old couldn’t stop Medvedev from levelling the match and storming by set three quickly after.
Undeterred, Seyboth Wild rediscovered his attacking recreation to surge by the ultimate two units. After 4 hours, quarter-hour, he closed out the upset with a giant forehand winner, ending with a 69 per cent win fee (38/55) on internet factors.
“I’ve watched Daniil play for my whole junior profession, up till at present. Enjoying on this court docket in opposition to this sort of participant and beating him is a dream come true,” mentioned the Brazilian. “Strolling on court docket I simply wished to get to the online as a lot as attainable and use my forehand in opposition to his and it labored fairly properly.”
Seyboth Wild received 4 ATP Challenger Tour titles in 2023 — two both aspect of Roland Garros — and reached a career-high Pepperstone ATP Rating of No. 74 in September.
What an upset! 🤯
Qualifier Seyboth Wild 🇧🇷 takes out the No. 2 seed, Daniil Medvedev, in 5 units! 👏@rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/hiUHTRwZR7
— ATP Tour (@atptour) Could 30, 2023
4) US Open R2, Zhang d. Ruud 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2
Zhang Zhizhen continued his fast rise on the ATP Tour with a serving to of Grand Slam revenge in opposition to returning US Open finalist Casper Ruud.
Earlier within the season, the Chinese language star was crushed by Ruud at Roland Garros, the place the Norwegian reached the ultimate for the second straight 12 months. However Zhang ensured there could be no repeat last run for Ruud in New York by notching the most important win of his profession in opposition to the fifth seed.
With the assistance of 59 winners, together with 18 aces, Zhang turned the primary Chinese language man to earn a High 5 win because the begin of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 1973. By driving his highly effective forehand and serve, Zhang made up for his US Open heartbreak in 2022, when he missed out on seven match factors in a first-round defeat to Tim van Rijthoven.
“Final 12 months on the US Open, I can say it was a nasty reminiscence. However this 12 months is slightly bit completely different,” mentioned the 27-year-old, who went on to complete the season contained in the High 60.
Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Photos
3) Roland Garros R1, Altmaier d. Sinner 6-7(0), 7-6(7), 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-5
In a five-hour, 26-minute marathon, Daniel Altmaier saved two match factors within the fourth set earlier than Jannik Sinner erased 4 within the match’s last recreation. The German claimed the primary five-set win of his profession by serving out the victory on the second time of asking, ending the Roland Garros run of the in-form eighth seed, who reached the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo and the quarters in Barcelona.
Altmaier confirmed nerves of metal to avoid wasting 15 of 21 break factors and supreme endurance to get better after Sinner appeared to take command of the match in a one-sided third set. The victory additionally avenged a five-set defeat to the Italian within the pair’s solely earlier Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly on the 2022 US Open.
“The competitors says all of it,” Altmaier mentioned after shifting on to the third spherical in Paris for the second time. “We’ve had historic matches with so many match factors… I don’t know in the event you can name this an ‘historic’ match, however I believe it was one to recollect.”
Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Photos
2) Australian Open R2, Popyrin d Fritz 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-2
There was a wave of American success this 12 months in Melbourne, however on his residence turf, Alexei Popyrin made certain Taylor Fritz didn’t be a part of the social gathering. The fiery Aussie scored the standout shock of an upset-filled Australian Open with a big-serving show in Melbourne — a end result made all of the extra stunning by the opponents’ contrasting fortunes within the earlier season.
Popyrin earned simply 5 tour-level wins in 2022 however kickstarted the brand new marketing campaign together with his fourth High 10 win and his second on the Australian Open (d. Dominic Thiem in 2019). Behind 19 aces, Popyrin reached the third spherical for the third time at his residence main. He confronted simply two break factors in a match of razor-thin margins — one within the fourth and fifth units — and recovered after lacking out on a match level within the fourth-set tie-break.
“That is the dream for me, and I do not need to get up in any respect,” he mentioned in an emotional on-court interview. Simply earlier than that, he addressed the group as they chanted his identify: “You guys had been simply unbelievable. Oh my god, that is loopy. I actually could not have accomplished it with out you guys. This win means a lot to me.”
1) US Open R2, Stricker d. Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-3
On the identical day as Zhang’s Ruud upset, Dominic Stricker scored his maiden High 10 win so as to add to Stefanos Tsitsipas’ US Open woes. The 21-year-old qualifier, who capped his breakthrough season on the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals introduced by NEOM, superior to the third spherical at a serious for the primary time with a gutsy efficiency in his New York main-draw debut.
In a four-hour, 10-minute epic, the lefty battled again from 3-5 within the fourth set and performed his finest tennis down the stretch to maintain the seventh-seeded Tsitsipas searching for his first US Open fourth-round look. Stricker misplaced simply 4 factors on his first serve (19/23) within the last set and struck 78 winners within the marathon match.
“I got here out at present fairly properly. I felt good from the primary set on. It was a troublesome battle however I’m simply tremendous completely happy proper now,” mentioned Stricker, who rose from World No. 128 in New York to a year-end end contained in the High 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. “I used to be down 3-5 after which I got here again within the fourth set. I do not know the way, however I did it by some means after which I stored taking part in very excessive degree tennis. I’m a bit speechless however it’s a nice day.”
Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Photos
Learn all tales in our Finest Of 2023 evaluation.
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