Lucky loser drives 1,000km to beat Tomic at Frenchopen

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made their entrances at Roland Garros yesterday but both found themselves upstaged by a lucky loser and his 88-yearold grandmother.

Argentinian Marco Trungelliti, beaten in French Open qualifying last week, was back home in Barcelona on Sunday when, after a spate of withdrawals, he got the call to replace injured Nick Kyrgios.

The 28-year-old had his family – mother Suzanna, brother Andre and grandmother Daphne – staying with him, and within five minutes Trungelliti had packed them all into his car to embark on a 10-hour, 1,000-kilometre drive in order to be in Paris in time to sign in.

It was worth the trip as well, as Trungelliti, ranked 190 in the world, went on to beat former top-20 star Bernard Tomic to net a cool £69,000 – almost treble what he had earned over the rest of the year.

He explained: “We were at home with my family, actually, my brother and my grandma and my mum came a week ago. Supposedly they were going to come here but then I lost, so I left. Then my coach told me, ask if you are going to get in or whatever. So I ask, and then somebody told me that it was the first alternate.

“So actually, my grandma was in the shower and I told her, OK, we go to Paris!

“There are many flights cancelled, and then there is no train now in France so the best option was just to take the car.”

Trungelliti, who arrived in Paris just before midnight, was on court for an 11am start after just a quick warm-up and ran out a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-4 winner.

Nadal, looking for an 11th title on the famous clay, was two sets to the good but a break down in the third to Italian Simone Bolelli, himself a lucky loser, when the rain brought the players off.

Djokovic, the champion in 2016, eased through after a straight-sets win over Rogerio Dutra Silva.

The Serbian, coming back from an injury absence which has seen him dip out of the world’s top 20, brushed aside his Brazilian opponent 6-3 6-4 6-4.

“My grandma was in the shower and I told her, OK, we go to Paris!

MARCO TRUNGELLITI