From Gasquet to Fils: As one hero walks away, France finds another

Day 5 of French Open sees upsets and straight-forward wins but it will be remembered most for contrasting emotions

- Ashish Magotra

NEW DELHI: Thursday was a day France said hello to a rising homegrown star before bidding goodbye to one of its tennis heroes.

Emotions were already running high at Roland Garros after France No. 1 Arthur Fils braved a back injury to win in five sets on Court Suzanne-Lenglen early in the day but they took a trip down memory lane soon after when Richard Gasquet ended his 23-year career with a straight sets loss to top-ranked Jannik Sinner at Philippe-Chatrier.

In one of the most dramatic matches of the day, the 20-year-old Fils, the 14th seed, seemed to initially be well in control of the match against Jaume Munar after taking the first two sets 7-6(3), 7-6(4).

It wasn't an easy match and the players seemed to be well matched but the Frenchman's athleticism seemed to be giving him a slight edge. But things changed when Fils picked up a back injury during the second set tiebreaker.