Tommy Paul saved seven match points across two days of play to pull off one of the most remarkable escapes of the clay season, outlasting Tomas Martin Etcheverry in a three-and-a-half-hour triple-tiebreak thriller. Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was not as fortunate - lucky loser Aleksandar Kovacevic rallied from 1-4 down in the deciding set to complete the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Alex de Minaur and Ugo Humbert also advanced through three-setters, while qualifier Ignacio Buse continued his sensational run by eliminating Jakub Mensik to guarantee a top-50 debut. Thursday's quarterfinals pit De Minaur against clay specialist Luciano Darderi in the standout match, with Paul facing home hero Altmaier and Buse taking on Humbert.
Kovacevic stuns top seed Auger-Aliassime with third set's comeback
Aleksandar Kovacevic produced the shock of the round, rallying from 1-4 down in the deciding set to stun top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. The world No. 94 completely loosened up when facing elimination, winning five consecutive games to close out the biggest win of his career by ranking. It caps a remarkable turnaround for the lucky loser, who lost in the final round of qualifying to Arthur Gea only to beat the same Frenchman in the opening round after receiving a late call-up to the main draw. For Auger-Aliassime, it is another painful clay court exit - the world No. 5 is seeded fourth at Roland Garros but his results outside indoor hard courts continue to raise questions. As one observer put it, everyone will want to land in his quarter in Paris.
Paul saves seven match points in three-and-a-half-hour epic
Tommy Paul authored one of the most extraordinary escapes of the 2026 clay season, saving seven match points across two days to defeat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(7) in three and a half hours of pure tension. The American faced two match points at 5-6 in the second set on Tuesday before darkness halted play, then returned Wednesday to fend off four more at 5-6 in the third set and a seventh at 6/7 in the deciding tiebreak. Paul's serve was under constant siege throughout - he had to defend 45 pressure points on delivery compared to Etcheverry's 22 - yet found ways to survive when it mattered most, often resorting to serve-and-volley tactics on the biggest points. His net play was the difference, winning 44 of 61 points at the net against an Etcheverry who had no answer for the approach. It is the second time this season Paul has pulled off a clay court escape act, having saved three championship points to win the Houston title against Burruchaga in April. He faces home hero Altmaier in the quarterfinals.
De Minaur grinds through under Hamburg roof
Alex de Minaur won his second consecutive three-setter at the Hamburg Open, overcoming Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 under the Am Rothenbaum roof as rain poured outside. The Australian described his first set as close to the best tennis he has played in a while, racing through it 6-2 before Davidovich Fokina found his range in a more competitive second. De Minaur's clay season has been a struggle - a quarterfinal in Monte Carlo aside, he managed just one win across Barcelona, Madrid and Rome combined, falling in his opening match at the latter two. But two gritty three-set wins here against top-30 opponents in Cerundolo and Davidovich Fokina suggest his form is turning at the right time before Roland Garros. The third seed faces Darderi or Hanfmann on Thursday.
Humbert edges Khachanov in another deciding tiebreak
Ugo Humbert and Karen Khachanov needed a deciding-set tiebreak for the second consecutive day after both came through three-setters in the first round. This time Humbert came out on top, winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) in a match that followed a familiar pattern - one break apiece in the opening two sets before a tight decider. Humbert had two break points at 5-5 in the third that could have ended it in regulation, but Khachanov held firm. It made no difference in the tiebreak, where Humbert was clinical at 7-3. The Frenchman fired seven aces and won 15 of 18 serve pressure points, his left-handed serve proving too difficult to read consistently. The win sets up a quarterfinal clash with the winner of Buse-Mensik.
Thursday quarterfinals preview
Just three seeded players are still in the draw at the stage of quarterfinals, all of them being placed in bottom half of the draw. That means, top half will surely deliver the surprising finalist. Aleksandar Kovacevic faced Camilo Ugo Carabelli, who defeated 8th seed Frances Tiafoe in two tiebreaks. The Argentinian came back from 0-3 in second set and denied Tiafoe from serving for the decider. Carabelli was already in two quarterfinals this season - in Marrakech and Buenos Aires. Ignacio Buse is a real sensation of the tournament. After defeating reigning champion Flavio Cobolli in first match with a commanding performance, Buse eliminated Jakub Mensik, winning all breakpoints both on serve and return and scoring 81% of first serve points. The player from Peru is guaranteed to make a debut in top 50 of ATP rankings, being 45th in live list before his quarterfinal clash with Ugo Humbert.
A. Kovacevic (LL) vs. C. Ugo Carabelli match preview
I. Buse (Q) vs. U. Humbert match preview
Alex De Minaur is about to play another hit clash, as his match against Luciano Darderi seems to be the most high-quality encounter on paper. The world number 9 still tries to get his proper game on clay, but the semifinalist from Rome will surely be a challenging opponent, possibly being the best clay court specialist left in the field. Darderi defeated Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday's evening by 7-6(7) 7-5 in two very competitive sets. Tommy Paul follows his crazy victory over Etcheverry, facing the sole home representative Daniel Altmaier. The world number 65 brought an upset over second seed and Paul's compatriot Ben Shelton on Tuesday, having way more time to get fresh before quarterfinals.