Borna Coric loses Roland Garros qualifying opener from match points up; Daphnée Mpetshi Perricard delights

Borna Coric has been lighting it up on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, picking up four titles to rebuild his ranking inside the Top 100.

The Croatian's ongoing resurgence didn’t time favorably enough with Roland Garros, leaving him as the top qualifying seed. And on Tuesday, the former world No. 12 suffered a tough opening blow.

Local hopeful Titouan Droguet, ranked No. 232, rose to the occasion inside Court Suzanne-Lenglen with a 5-7, 7-6 (9), 6-2 victory. Having failed to serve out the second set at 5-3, the 23-year-old later staved off two match points in the eventual tie-break before pulling away from Coric.

After two hours and 37 minutes, the hard-fought win belonged to Droguet. The Frenchman is aiming to get through to the main draw of his home major for the first time and second Grand Slam event overall, after ousting Lorenzo Musetti at the 2023 US Open following a successful qualification in Queens. Compatriot Arthur Gea is up next.

For Coric, this marked the first time he lost in the first round of a major qualifying draw since 2014 Wimbledon as a 17-year-old. His current No. 84 ranking should give him enough padding with impending Roland Garros results to earn a main-draw spot at the All England Club.

Eliot Spizzirri survived a three-hour plus battle thanks in part to a stunning turn of events. The No. 15 seed edged Hugo Greiner, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (10-5), but not before recovering from 0-6 down in the opening tiebreaker on a 13-point run that carried over into the second set.

Countrywoman Taylor Townsend also displayed her resolve in tight moments. The left-hander topped Sara Saito, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (6), denying the 18-year-old’s pair of late chances to send the contest into a winner-take-all set.

Townsend, the No. 6 seed, meets fellow American Hanna Chang for a final qualifying round spot. The 27-year-old dispatched Leonie Kung, 6-4, 6-0.

Sixteen-year-old Daphnée Mpetshi Perricard, younger sister of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, delighted with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Gabriela Knutson. Ranked No. 1221, the wild card entrant now gets a crack at No. 26 seed Daria Saville. The Australian defeated Heather Watson, 7-6 (2), 6-2.