With a maiden five-set victory, Adam Walton becomes the fifth Australian to advance to the Roland Garros 2025 second round.
Paris, France , 28 May 2025 | Vivienne Christie
It was a day of momentous firsts for Adam Walton at Roland Garros 2025.
With a 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3 2-6 6-2 victory over German qualifier Maximilian Marterer, the 26-year-old Queenslander not only claimed the first five-set win of his professional career but also recorded a maiden singles win at Roland Garros.
Setting up a second-round encounter with No.17 seed Andrey Rublev, Walton completed the milestone victory in an intense three hours and 37 minutes.
“I felt like physically. I was battling a little bit in the fourth [set],” conceded Walton, who was able to regroup at that stage after taking a brief break off the court.
“I came out with a bit more energy and you know I told myself, ‘You got to go for it again and it’s one more set. That’s all you’ve got to play.’
“Luckily I got off to a good start and was able just to keep holding on.”
Adding to his confidence-boosting performance, Walton punctuated the defining victory with an ace.
“I told myself I’ve got to hit it,” he smiled. “Obviously I hit a pretty good one and obviously the feeling to win that match was very cool.”
Coming in his second main-draw appearance at the claycourt major, the maiden Roland Garros match win helps atone for bitter disappointments in recent Grand Slam campaigns.
Walton fell in five sets to Argentina’s Francisco Comesana in the Wimbledon second round last year and surrendered a two-sets lead to Frenchman Quentin Halys in his opening match at AO 2025.
Withstanding 47 winners from the match-hardened Marterer on Day 3 in Paris, Walton could also glean confidence from the turnaround on a surface that had delivered him just a lone match – at Houston in March – this year.
After a runner-up performance at the ATP Challenger tournament in Busan in April, the Queenslander suffered early exits in his next two tournaments and retired in the first round of the Wuxi tournament.
“I probably came in a bit underdone,” Walton conceded to Stan Sport.“I went home after Asia and just rested for a little bit before coming here.
“I had to do what was right [for me] and if that meant my clay prep[aration] was a bit short so be it.
“And yeah, I mean, it’s still a tennis court, even though it’s perhaps a clay court and not my favourite surface but tennis is tennis and maybe it just goes to prove I can win on any surface.”
Indeed, it was a winning formula for the world No.91, who is excited to take on Rublev for the first time.
“Obviously I know he hits the ball very hard and likes to play matches on his terms, so just I’ll just try to counter that the best I can.”
Walton became the fifth Australian to advance to the Roland Garros 2025 second round.
> READ: De Minaur hangs tough to reach Roland Garros second round
Alex de Minaur, the No.9 seed, also successfully launched his 2025 campaign on Day 3 of the tournament, with a straight-sets victory over Laslo Djere.
Alexei Popyrin, Daria Kasatkina and Ajla Tomljanovic are other Australians to continue their charge in Paris.
Olivia Gadecki fell to No.2 seed Coco Gauff on Tuesday, while James Duckworth exited to Alexander Bublik.
AUSSIES IN ACTION
RESULTS – Roland Garros Day 3
Men’s singles, first round
[9] Alex de Minaur (AUS) d Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-3 6-4 7-6)6)
Adam Walton (AUS) d [Q] Maximilian Marterer (GER) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-3 2-6 6-2
Alexander Bublik (KAZ) d James Duckworth (AUS)6-2 6-4 6-4
Women’s singles, first round
[2] Coco Gauff (USA) d Olivia Gadecki (AUS) 6-2 6-2
COMING UP – Roland Garros Day 4
Men’s singles, second round
[25] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v Alejandro Tabilo (CHI)
Women’s singles, second round
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v [4] Jasmine Paolini
> READ: Roland Garros Order of Play
