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Ilya Ivashka and Hubert Hurkacz complete a quartet of Roland-Garros qualifiers on Thursday in Paris.


An elated quartet of men booked their main-draw ticket at a sun-scorched Roland Garros on Thursday.

World No.185 Adam Pavlasek was the first to complete qualification with a 7-6(8) 6-4 triumph over Dennis Novak and the Czech is determined to make more memories on the red dirt in Paris.


“I feel amazing after the way I’ve played in all three matches of qualies. I’m just so happy to make the main draw again, that was tough,” reflected Pavlasek, having squandered three set points in the opening tie-break.

“I love it here so I’m just looking forward to the next match. I have unbelievable memories from 2016 when I was in the main draw second round. I will try to do the same, we’ll see.”

Denis Kudla declared his experience counted after chalking up a third French Open main-draw spot with a commanding 6-2 6-1 win against Jurgen Zopp.

“It feels great. These are huge moments for us, for players who aren’t direct-entry," the 25-year-old said.

“I’ve played enough last round qualies at Grand Slams with plenty of heartbreakers, saved match points, had easy ones. So I’ve been through a lot of it. I feel like experience is really starting to help me and in the last six months is really kicking in.

“Clay has never been my best surface, that’s no secret, but I’ve been playing really well in the lead-up without results really being there. I’m happy I really showed up for Roland Garros for the big show.

“I’ve had some short stays here, but this is the Slam where you have to work the hardest, you really deserve wins here. This surface exposes weaknesses, it’s mentally and physically so tough. It would be a special place for me to make a run here.”

Sergiy Stakhovsky reached the third round at Roland-Garros back in 2011, but was denied by spirited Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, who will make his main-draw debut following a 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2 victory.

Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz will also take his French Open bow having completed a 6-3 4-6 6-4 scoreline facing Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti.


Meanwhile, gregarious Ernests Gulbis kept his hopes alive in an enthralling 6-3 6-7(7) 6-1 passage past Italy’s Stefano Travaglia in the second qualifying round.

The 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist looked destined for the third round with four match points at 6-2 in the second set tie-break. However, Travaglia teased the errors from the Latvian’s racket and a sumptuous drop shot carved out his own set point at 6-6, before hauling Gulbis into a decider.

A rocket forehand return onto the baseline chalked up a 2-0 break lead as Gulbis soared to victory and next faces world No.198 Alessandro Giannessi, who posted a 7-6(2) 6-2 win against Tobias Kamke.

Women's qualifying
Dolehide advances, Kostyuk falls

Jozef Kovalik ended the charge of Next Gen hopeful Reilly Opelka with a hard fought 6-2 3-6 7-6(4) victory on a packed Court 6.

The American youngster won his first clay court title on Sunday, lifting a Challenger trophy in Bordeaux, but couldn’t match his recent form in a turbulent battle.

World No.147 Kovalik had a match point dismissed at 5-4 in the decider, before closing out the win with an accomplished tie-break to book a third round encounter with Canadian 14th seed Peter Polansky.

Home charge Corentin Denolly was halted 7-5 6-2 by world No.109 Guido Andreozzi. The ninth seed broke the 20-year-old Frenchman at 5-5 with some heavy returns to help clinch the opening set.

Andreozzi then struck a pivotal break to start the second set and accelerated towards a third round meeting with Egyptian Mohamed Safwat.

Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva breezed past Andrej Martin 6-2 6-0. The sixth seed is yet to drop a set in qualifying and meets Czech youngster Zdenek Kolar for a main draw ticket.

The ground pass paradise on the new Court 18 was the venue for 20th seed Simeone Bolelli to edge past Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6(4) 6-3. His reward is a shootout with veteran Santiago Giraldo, who recovered from a set down to prevail past Uladzimir Ignatik 6-7(5) 6-2 6-2.

Kudla, Pavlasek and Ivashka also advance
If you are unfamiliar with Hubert Hurkacz, you’ll know the #NextGenATP Pole well soon. The 21-year-old defeated Argentine Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the final round of Roland Garros qualifying on Thursday in one hour, 55 minutes to move into his first Grand Slam main draw.

Hurkacz seeks his first ATP World Tour win, but he has enjoyed plenty of success on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, helping him to the No. 13 spot in the ATP Race To Milan. He made the final, semi-finals and quarter-finals at three consecutive Challenger events in China. The only Polish man in the men’s singles draw, Hurkacz owns a 2-9 tour-level record, and will look to make a splash on the terre battue.

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American Denis Kudla will play in his third Roland Garros main draw after the No. 7 seed beat No. 24 seed Jurgen Zopp 6-2, 6-1.

“Clay has never been my best surface, that’s no secret, but I’ve been playing really well in the lead-up without results really being there,” Kudla told RolandGarros.com. “I’m happy I really showed up for Roland Garros for the big show.”

Czech Adam Pavlasek will compete in the main draw for the second time after ousting Austrian Dennis Novak 7-6(8), 6-4. Pavlasek beat this year’s Quito champion, Roberto Carballes Baena, to make the second round in 2016.

“I feel amazing after the way I’ve played in all three matches of qualies," Pavlasek said. "I’m just so happy to make the main draw again, that was tough.”

Rounding out the early qualifiers is Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, who will debut on the Parisian clay after defeating Ukrainian veteran Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2. The No. 2 seed in qualifying broke out on the ATP World Tour earlier this year with a run to the Marseille semi-finals, which included a win against Stan Wawrinka.

The remaining 12 qualifiers will be decided on Friday, with notable players such as #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud and 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis in action.