Svajda wins on late father's birthday as five-set record broken

Svajda wins on late father's birthday as five-set record brokenImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Zachary Svajda was the first American to qualify for the fourth round of the men's singlesByElizabeth BotcherbyBBC Sport journalistPublished27 minutes agoUnseeded American Zachary Svajda dedicated his French Open victory over Francisco Cerundolo to his late father, after reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time on what would have been his 61st birthday.The 23-year-old, who led by two sets to love, was taken to a decider by the Argentine 25th seed and fought back from being broken in the third game of the fifth set to win 6-3 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 in a little over three hours.The match was one of eight men's singles third-round ties to go to five sets - a record in the Open era. Svajda, making his debut in the main draw at Roland Garros, was visibly emotional after completing the win, dropping on to the clay before pointing to the sky.His father Tom, a tennis coach in San Diego, was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and passed away in October."It's like I'm dreaming right now. It's crazy," said Svajda, who will face 10th seed Flavio Cobolli for a spot in the quarter-finals."Today was so special because it's my dad's birthday. I was thinking of that. I was nervous. I know he's proud of me, and I wanted to perform well and win."Defending champion Gauff out of French OpenPublished1 hour agoUkrainian makes impassioned speech after facing RussianPublished4 hours agoFrench Open Daily: Defending Champion Coco Gauff exitsAttributionSoundsHe added: "When I got that last point, I just teared up and fell to the ground like, 'oh my gosh, what is happening?'."On the advice from his dad which helped inspire him to victory, he told TNT Sports: "Every time I step on court, just enjoy it and believe in yourself. Knowing that I can beat anyone on any given day. I thought about that to...