Tennis Australia Media Release, May 27, 2026
Australians Adam Walton and Kimberly Birrell have secured the biggest wins of their careers overnight at Roland Garros, with stunning upset victories in their first-round matches against two of the world’s top 10 players.
Walton, currently ranked 97th in the world, battled through an epic five-set thriller to dismantle world No.7 and Grand Slam champion Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
Huge win from Adam Walton 👏#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/MvpuzTzIja
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2026
Meanwhile Birrell, the world No.83, overcame fifth-ranked American Jessica Pegula in another thrilling battle, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
“I had the belief that I could definitely go out there and beat him,” Walton said. “To get a first top-10 win at a slam is pretty epic.
“It’s huge. I just told myself, ‘Keep fighting, keep fighting.’ And I’m just really proud of my efforts in the fifth set to come from a break down to get the win.”
Birrell was equally proud of the way she was able to shift the momentum of her match following a challenging first set.
“I don’t really know what to say. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, to be honest. I just told myself to hang in there. [It’s] probably the best match I’ve played on clay.”
“When I saw the draw… I knew it would be extremely tough. I did feel inspired by Adam’s win. When you see someone have a result like that, it does give you a little bit of a pep in your step.
“I’m just really proud that I was able to play this well on a surface that doesn’t feel that familiar to me.”
The pair, who both hail from Queensland, joined four fellow Aussies — Daria Kasatkina, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alex de Minaur in the second round of the French Grand Slam. De Minaur has since progressed further to the third round after second-round opponent Alexander Blockx withdrew due to injury.
For 27-year-old Walton, it marks the first top-10 win in his career, while 28-year-old Birrell claimed her second.
Walton will now face American Zachary Svajda in the second round, while Birrell will take on Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova.
