Medvedev hits dirt on clay again

Of AP

If anyone thought a couple of recent runs to week two at the French Open and a clay-court title a little more than a week ago made Daniil Medvedev a little fonder of the red stuff, forget it.

A first-round loss yesterday as the No 2 seed at Roland Garros – against Thiago Seybolt Wild, a qualifier ranked 172nd who never had won a grand slam match anywhere until yesterday – sure reminded Medvedev of his distaste for the slow surface used in Paris.

‘‘I had a mouthful of clay since probably the third game of the match, and I don’t like it. I don’t know if people like to eat clay, to have clay in their bags, in their shoes, the socks – white socks, you can throw them [into the] garbage after clay season,’’ said Medvedev, who won the 2021 US Open and reached three other major finals on hard courts.

‘‘Maybe some people like it. I don’t.’’

Seybolt Wild needed to win three matches in qualifying rounds last week just to make it into the men’s bracket – something he’d failed to do on eight previous attempts at slams – but looked very much like he belonged on Court Philippe Chatrier.

He hit big forehands and kept his nerve down the stretch to oust Medvedev 7-6 (5) 6-7 (8) 2-6 6-3 6-4.

‘‘It definitely was the happiest day of my life,’’ said Seybolt Wild, a 23-year-old from Brazil. ‘‘I knew it was going to be a tough match, but I knew how to play. I have watched him play 1000 times already. I just had to believe in myself.’’

The top women’s seeds in action all advanced, including defending champion Iga Swiatek, 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff, reigning Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina and two-time major finalist Ons Jabeur.

■ New Zealander Michael Venus and his British partner Jamie Murray advanced to the second round of the men’s doubles, beating Diego Hidalgo from Ecuador and Spain’s David Vega Hernandez 7-6 6-4 in a tight match that lasted one hour 45 minutes.