Daniel Altmaier caused a significant upset at this year’s Roland Garros by defeating fourth seed Taylor Fritz with scores of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Altmaier, ranked No. 66 in the PIF ATP Rankings, showcased an impressive all-court game to overcome the American player during their two-hour and forty-one-minute match. This victory marked Altmaier’s fifth win against a Top-10 opponent and his third at the clay-court major in Paris.
“It was very special,” Altmaier commented on his performance. “I think I was working really hard the past weeks to get confidence, preparing myself for those kinds of matches. I feel like I’m ready to play whoever is going to face me. I’m really happy to get this first win and I really love my performance.”
Altmaier countered Fritz’s powerful hitting with his own strong groundstrokes, particularly effective in the fourth set when he gained a double-break lead using heavy forehands before sealing it with an inside-out winner. According to Infosys Stats, Altmaier hit 44 winners in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Fritz.
“I try to be as humble as possible,” added Altmaier regarding his approach. “The sacrifices every tennis player is [making] is unbelievable. I have a long vision and I definitely want to achieve something big in this sport, and I’m working for that, so that’s why I have to win matches.”
Fritz’s loss marked his first opening-round exit at Roland Garros since 2018 and only his second at Grand Slam level since the 2019 US Open. He previously reached the final of last year’s US Open.
Reflecting on recent performances, Fritz stated: “I feel like since between Rome, Geneva and here, my movement on court is really bad… A lot of times when I’m sliding, I’m off balance… slipping a lot.”
Elsewhere at Roland Garros, Holger Rune defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets and will potentially face Lorenzo Musetti in the third round after Musetti’s win over Yannick Hanfmann.
With Fritz out early from the tournament, Musetti and Rune are now among the top contenders remaining in their quarter of the draw. Rune has reached consecutive quarter-finals at Roland Garros while Musetti aims for another deep run after reaching the fourth round twice before.
Rune will next compete against Emilio Nava while Musetti prepares for Daniel Elahi Galan in their respective second-round matches.