De Jong defeats emotional Wawrinka in French Open farewell; Van de Zandschulp also exits
Stan Wawrinka played his final match at Roland Garros on Monday, losing to Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong in four sets, while Botic van de Zandschulp also fell in the first round against Francisco Cerúndolo.
De Jong overcomes Wawrinka in four sets
Jesper de Jong, the 25-year-old Dutchman ranked 106th, defeated 41-year-old Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 3 hours and 4 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu. De Jong, a lucky loser after Arthur Fils’ withdrawal, started strongly in the 33-degree heat but was broken back in the second set following two double faults. Wawrinka fought to level the match but his errors mounted in the third, and De Jong closed it out with a hard serve. The Swiss visibly struggled with the heat in the fourth, and De Jong broke at 4-4 with an aggressive forehand before serving out the victory.
An emotional farewell for a champion
This was Wawrinka’s 21st and final appearance at Roland Garros, where he won the title in 2015 by beating Novak Djokovic. After the match, the tournament held a farewell ceremony on the packed court, showing career highlights and video messages from fellow legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic. Wawrinka, visibly emotional, addressed the crowd.
There is no tournament like Roland Garros. This is what you do it all for, to feel such emotions. I’ve had the chance to do this for a very long time. It was a dream to be a professional tennis player and to play here one more time.
De Jong stays humble in victory
Despite the biggest win of his career, De Jong kept his celebrations muted out of respect for the occasion. In his on-court interview, he said the day was all about Wawrinka. Later, he reflected at the press conference.
It felt a bit surreal from the start. The atmosphere, the crowd chanting his name. It was like I was in a virtual world. Of course I was happy after the last point, but I celebrated it a little bit inside myself. People don’t want a lucky loser to steal the show at such a moment.
He also praised Wawrinka’s trademark backhand.
Stan was already playing here against my coach when I was still a ball boy. I was almost broken by his famous backhand, a deadly shot. This day was all about Stan.
Van de Zandschulp bows out
Later in the day, Botic van de Zandschulp, the world No.55, lost to Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo, the No.25 seed, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(7), 4-6. Van de Zandschulp fought back in the third-set tiebreak after facing a match point, but was broken at 4-4 in the fourth and couldn’t recover. It was his third straight loss to Cerúndolo.
What’s next
De Jong will face Italian qualifier Federico Cina, ranked 238th, in the second round. Tallon Griekspoor, the Dutch No.1, begins his campaign on Tuesday against Matteo Arnaldi of Italy. Griekspoor reached the fourth round here last year before retiring injured against Alexander Zverev.
