The first round of the 2023 French Open already delivered a huge upset. Daniil Medvedev, who entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, has been eliminated from Roland Garros by No. 172-ranked Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Seyboth Wild, playing in his first French Open, got the first set before dropping the next two. He started experiencing cramps in the third set, at which point it seemed that Medvedev was cruising to victory.
But the 23-year-old Brazilian wasn’t about to let the biggest victory of his career slip. He overcame the cramps and went on to dominate the remaining two sets and send Medvedev packing.
Seyboth Wild’s achievement is even more special when you know that he had to get three wins in qualifiers to even get a chance to face Medvedev. He also never won a Grand Slam match up to that point.
“It definitely was the happiest day of my life,” said Seyboth Wild after the match. “I knew it was going to be a tough match, but I knew how to play. I have watched him play 1,000 times already. I just had to believe in myself.”
Thiago Seyboth Wild is now set to face No. 485-ranked Guido Pella in the second round of the tournament. The only other time Seyboth Wild reached the second round was at 2021 Wimbledon.
