Peruvian tennis player Juan Pablo Varillas, ranked No. 94 in the ATP rankings, claimed his third win at Roland Garros on Friday, again in five sets, and advanced to the round of 16, where he will face world No. 3 legend Novak Djokovic.
On the lively Court 14, which turned into a Peruvian celebration, Varillas defeated 14th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-2. The victory also marks Varillas’ third career Grand Slam win.
The 27-year-old managed to keep alive his illusion and that of his parents, who saw him play a Grand Slam for the first time and whom he hugged immediately after the match.
“They supported me, they always trusted me, and they never pressured me. They knew how to keep their role as parents and never got involved in tennis. I think they deserve all my gratitude,” Varillas said at the post-victory press conference.
The match did not start easy for Varillas, as she lost the first set. It looked like the second set was going in the same direction, but before the middle of the set, Hurkacz called medical time and disappeared for a few minutes in the locker room.
Upon his return, the match swung in favor of Varillas, who took advantage of the situation to take the set by breaking his opponent’s serve twice.
The third set was very even and was decided in a tiebreaker in which Hurkacz tried to use volleys and climb to the net, a tactic that did not work against the Peruvian.
Surrounded by fans from his home country, Varillas sealed the victory in the fifth set after three hours and 51 minutes.
“To be honest, I would have liked to win in three sets. I try to stay focused for as long as possible, but it’s difficult. However, staying consistent was key,” admitted Varillas. “But maybe a long match benefited me more than him,” in reference to the physical problem Hurkacz faced.
With this victory, Varillas achieved his best performance in a Grand Slam, where he had never come this far before, and will now face Djokovic in the round of 16.
“Facing one of the greatest in history fills me with illusion. I will try to win,” he added.
“When you walk onto the court, the odds are 50-50; it’s one-on-one,” he expressed optimistically.