Publications
Partners
Paris - South Africa's Lloyd Harris reached the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time at Roland Garros on Monday, lending weight to his nickname of 'The King'.
The 22-year-old from Cape Town defeated Czech veteran Lukas Rosol 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 before revealing how he came upon his regal alter-ego.
"I was only 19 when I made it into the South Africa Davis Cup team which was a group full of older guys - 27, 28, and into their 30s," Harris told AFP.
"I started beating all of them all the time so one of the guys, Nicolaas Scholtz, said I was the king of all of them.
"It was something different for South Africa where usually players come through much later."
In fact, the entire squad of South Africa Davis Cup players are given nicknames, said Harris, the world No 90.
"Tucker Vorster was 'Dragon', Scholtz is 'Shark' and Raven Klaasen was 'Fox'. Tucker and Ray were always referred to as 'Dragshark'!"
The team will be relying on the 'King' when South Africa host Bulgaria in September in Cape Town with Davis Cup promotion at stake.
Harris, who is South Africa's only man in the Roland Garros draw following the withdrawal of top-10 compatriot Kevin Anderson, had never won a match at the Slams before on Monday.
He qualified for the US Open last year and Australian Open in January but fell in qualifying at Roland Garros in 2018.
"I am super happy right now to have won a match in that fashion, having been down two sets," added Harris who next faces Croatian 13th seed Borna Coric.
"I passed the qualies in the US and Australia and lost tough matches in the first round (Gilles Simon and Daniil Medvedev respectively) but I knew that a victory was only a matter of time."
Should he get past Coric in the next round, Harris will turn his attentions to football and Madrid and the Champions League final between his team Tottenham and Liverpool on Saturday.
"I was never a big football fan when I was a kid but one day my friends and I watched Manchester United against Tottenham.
"I became more interested in the game and realised that all of my favourite players were Tottenham players.
"I'm a diehard fan of Harry Kane.
"I'd love to be at the final in Madrid but the timing is obviously not great. However, we'll win. I'm sure of that."
Results from the second day of the French Open on Monday (x denotes seeding):
Men
First round
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
Henri Laaksonen (SUI) bt Pedro Martinez (ESP) 6-1, 6-0, 7-6 (7/4)
Salvatore Caruso (ITA) bt Jaume Munar (ESP) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Gilles Simon (FRA x26) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Denis Shapovalov (CAN x20) 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 6-4
Radu Albot (MDA) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 6-1
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
Borna Coric (CRO x13) bt Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4
Dominic Thiem (AUT x4) bt Tommy Paul (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2
Alexander Bublik (KAZ) bt Rudolf Molleker (GER) 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/2)
Pablo Cuevas (URU) bt Maxime Janvier (FRA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) bt Alexandre Muller (FRA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Filip Krajinovic (SRB) bt Frances Tiafoe (USA x32) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
Stan Wawrinka (SUI x24) bt Jozef Kovalik (SVK) 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3
Cristian Garin (CHI) bt Reilly Opelka (USA) 7-6 (7/0), 7-5, 7-6 (9/7)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
Alex De Minaur (AUS x21) bt Bradley Klahn (USA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2
Benoit Paire (FRA) bt Marius Copil (ROU) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-0, 6-1
Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) bt Daniil Medvedev (RUS x12) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
Juan Ignacio Londero (ARG) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x15) 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Mischa Zverev (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Corentin Moutet (FRA) bt Alexey Vatutin (RUS) 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4
Guido Pella (ARG x19) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) bt Denis Kudla (USA) 6-0, 6-7 (7/9), 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Yannick Maden (GER) bt Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) 7-6 (7/0), 7-5, 6-3
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Yannick Hanfmann (GER) 6-2, 6-1, 6-3
Women
First round
Serena Williams (USA x10) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 2-6, 6-1, 6-0
Sofia Kenin (USA) bt Giulia Gatto-Monticone (ITA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE x25) bt Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Alison Riske (USA) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Danielle Collins (USA) bt Tatjana Maria (GER) 6-0, 6-2
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x8) bt Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-3, 6-3
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) bt Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU x30) 6-4, 6-4
Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)
Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov (ESP) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-4, 6-2
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) bt Kaja Juvan (SLO) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
Jennifer Brady (USA) bt Ivana Jorovic (SRB) 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-5
Polona Hercog (SLO) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR x32) 4-6, 6-2, 8-6
Rebecca Peterson (SWE) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-3, 7-5
Donna Vekic (CRO x23) bt Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) 6-2, 6-4
Johanna Konta (GBR x26) bt Antonia Lottner (GER) 6-4, 6-4
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 6-2, 6-4
Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 6-4, 6-3
Kiki Bertens (NED x4) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-3, 6-4
Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Astra Sharma (AUS) 6-3, 6-3
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x28) bt Dayana Yastremska (UKR) 2-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-0
Elise Mertens (BEL x20) bt Tamara Zidansek (SLO) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Diane Parry (FRA) bt Vera Lapko (BLR) 6-2, 6-4
Mandy Minella (LUX) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 6-4, 6-2
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x12) bt Luksika Kumkhum (THA) 6-1, 6-4
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) bt Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x13) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
Zarina Diyas (KAZ) bt Audrey Albie (FRA) 6-2, 6-2
Zhang Shuai (CHN) bt Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Julia Goerges (GER x18) 7-5, 6-1
