Terribly solid, Goffin gives way to a Mpetshi Perricard hero at Roland Garros!

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard gave his all on a Court 14 almost entirely devoted to his cause. But the 20-year-old Frenchman, currently ranked 66th in the world and on the rise, came up against an overly strong David Goffin on Tuesday (4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in 3.5 hours). Strong in the game (56 winners against just 27 unforced errors) and strong in the head, as he held his nerve despite converting just 6 of the 17 break points he had (3 out of 3 for the Frenchman).

The Belgian could even have won more quickly. He led by a break in the 4th set (3-1), but Mpetshi Perricard proved heroic. Spurred on by a fired-up crowd, the Frenchman first erased the break, then held his serve before pulling off a monumental tie-break to claw his way back. Goffin was far too solid in the final set, however, and finally snatched victory with a last-gasp backhand winner. What a match and what an atmosphere on Court 14!

In the second round, Goffin will have his work cut out against Alexander Zverev, who, as everyone knows, beat Rafael Nadal on Monday.