Britain’s Toby Samuel is one win away from making his Grand Slam main draw debut at Roland Garros.
The 23-year-old from Dorset defeated Belgian veteran David Goffin 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the second qualifying round at Roland Garros.
Samuel was outside the top 1,000 a year ago, but has soared to No. 159 in the rankings, and his only previous Grand Slam experience was at Wimbledon qualifying in 2023.
At that time, he lost in the second round, but in a fierce battle that lasted 2 hours and 22 minutes, he recovered from a set down and took another step forward.
The contest was held at the Suzanne Lenglen, the second-largest arena at Roland Garros, and drew a raucous crowd, most of them cheering for Goffin, who is set to retire at the end of the season.
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“First of all, it was an honor to play against David at the last French Open,” Samuel said in an on-court interview.
“You are an inspiration to all tennis players around the world. It was amazing to share the court with you. It was the craziest atmosphere I have ever been a part of.”
Samuel will face Peru’s Gonzalo Bueno for a spot in the main event, but Harriet Dart and Jay Clark were disappointed in losing in the second round.
Dart, the only British woman to qualify, lost to Spain’s Leyre Romero Gormaz 6-1, 6-4, while Clarke lost to France’s Thomas Forel 6-4, 6-3.
Felix Gil also came from behind to beat Alex Molkan and is now just one win away from advancing to the main draw.
The 23-year-old achieved a thrilling 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (11-9) victory and will face Kylian Jacquet in the third qualifying round.
In the second qualifying round, Arthur Ferry also fell and lost to Pedro Martínez, while a bye between Jan Koynski and Pierre-Hugues Herbert allowed the Frenchman to advance to the next round.
Meanwhile, British number one Cameron Norrie lost to Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-4 at the Geneva Open, and will head into the French Open on a third straight losing streak.
