Second Round: French stars shine bright
Quentin Halys and Arthur Rinderknech set the tone on centre court and court 1 as the French contingent enjoyed a memorable start to Wednesday’s action.
Halys, the great escape
Quentin Halys and No.7 seed Frances Tiafoe produced a somewhat erratic but thoroughly entertaining opening match on centre court.
Having won just two points across the first four games, the American looked slow to get going and allowed Halys to race through the opening set. But once “Big Foe” found his rhythm, the momentum shifted dramatically. Sharper in his movement and finally able to unleash his trademark explosiveness, Tiafoe reeled off seven consecutive games to level the contest and seize control of the decider.
With his back against the wall, Halys refused to go away. The Frenchman dug deep and arrived at the crucial moment just as Tiafoe was serving for the match, breaking back to love and forcing a deciding tie-break. What followed was a nerve-shredding finale. Arms tightened, errors crept in and opportunities came and went. Halys saved four match points before somehow emerging victorious, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(9) after 1h57.
It was arguably the finest victory of his career, both in terms of prestige and sheer drama, and only the second win of his career over a Top 10 opponent. “I’m a miracle survivor,” he joked afterwards on Eurosport. “I honestly don’t know how I got out of it at the end. I broke back with a great game, but mentally, physically and tennis-wise I completely disappeared for about a set and a half. Somehow I managed to regroup. I can’t explain it. It’s crazy that I won this match!”
The home favourite will now attempt to keep his dream alive in Paris against another American, Tommy Paul, who is also still chasing a place at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Earlier in the day, the 2022 quarter-finalist comfortably defeated Daniel Merida 6-1, 6-1 in just 48 minutes to keep those hopes very much alive.
Rinderknech back in the spotlight
If Halys had to survive a rollercoaster, Arthur Rinderknech's route was far more straightforward. Focused and disciplined throughout his encounter with Mattia Bellucci on Court 1, the Frenchman delivered one of his cleanest performances of the season.
After an even opening stretch in which neither player looked remotely troubled on serve, Rinderknech struck at the perfect moment. His first break point opportunity also happened to be a set point, and he converted it ruthlessly.
It proved a crushing blow. Bellucci never truly recovered. Outstanding behind serve, landing 83 per cent of first serves and winning 80 per cent of those points, the Frenchman continuously applied pressure in return games and cruised to a 6-4, 6-1 victory in just 1h05.
“It’s the end of the season, so a lot has happened and both the body and the mind are tired,” he told Eurosport afterwards. “Yesterday I won without really feeling the ball. Today I felt it perfectly and played a fantastic match. That’s the magic of tennis. Every day tells a different story.”
The victory allows Rinderknech to equal his best result in Paris, achieved in 2024, and more importantly sets up a prestigious Round of 16 showdown against Ben Shelton.