Toward the pointy end of the competition we tend to see some 'upsets', or to put it plainly, matches where the outright favourite loses. On this occasion, it was Rafael Nadal VS Gilles Muller. the 15x time grand Slam champion, including 10 French opens, up against a man with 2 career singles titles to his name which he won this year. They have met on seven occasions, Nadal leading 5-2. The last time Gilles would beat Nadal was 12 years ago. On paper it looks as though Nadal will have the match wrapped up and back to his hotel room before the sun goes down....Gilles had other plans.
Nadal is known for his endurance, stamina and mental strength. At 2-sets all going into the 5th you would've bet your house on it that Nadal would pull through, again Gilles had other intentions. This 5th set alone lasted over 2 hours. Nobody would've predicted a 5 set marathon and 15-13 in the final set. This will ultimately become Gilles' biggest match to date in his professional career to advance to the quarter finals and face off against Marin Cilic.
This should prove to be a cracking match. Can Gilles recover and do it all again? We shall soon find out.