Medvedev breaks French Open voodoo for 1st win at Roland Garros

PARIS (AP) — At his fifth attempt, Daniil Medvedev has finally won a match at Roland Garros.

The second-seeded Russian, who lost in the first round on each of his four previous appearances on the Parisian red clay, claimed a maiden win at the Grand Slam event by defeating Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.

Medvedev has often struggled on the slow surface — he has a 12-20 record on clay — and much prefers hard courts. He holds a 148-59 record on hard and has won all his 10 titles on the fast surface.

During his on-court interview, Medvedev told the crowd he feels the balls used in Paris suit his game really well.

"Since I arrived here I'm feeling really well, I can almost play as if on hard courts," he said. "Hopefully I can achieve something big."

A two-time Grand slam runner-up, Medvedev is bidding to become the third Russian man to win a major after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin.