It is rare in tennis that you are presented with a second chance, so when ‘lucky loser’ Yannick Maden received his, he did not want to give it up.
After crashing out in the final round of qualifying as top seed to compatriot Matthias Bachinger earlier in the day, Maden must have been thinking that he would have the week off, but with Philipp Kohlschreiber withdrawing at the last minute from the main draw due to fatigue, Maden was reinstated.
And so, he stepped onto the court in Metz for the second time that day, again to face another fellow German — Mischa Zverev, the older brother of world No. 5 Alexander.
It took three sets and over two hours of play, but Maden has found an unlikely route into the second round — taking the match 7-5. 4-6, 6-1.
The day’s other main draw contest was also a two-hour marathon, with Maximilian Marterer overcoming Ričardas Berankis 7-6 (1), 6-7(1), 6-4.
In the qualification rounds that took place earlier in the day, Australian Bernard Tomic secured his spot in the main draw with a three set victory over Mats Moraing.