Landaluce stages epic comeback against Kopriva and keeps dreaming at Roland Garros

Pedro de Pablos | 28 May 2026 | 17.40

Landaluce stages epic comeback against Kopriva and keeps dreaming at Roland Garros.

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Martín Landaluce and Vit Kopriva have starred in one of the great matches of Thursday's Roland Garros 2026, one of the most epic ones remembered in the tournament. Ultimately, it was the Spanish tennis player who managed to achieve the feat of coming back from two sets down for the first time in his career to win with a score of 1-6 2-6 6-4 7-5 6-0, after 3 hours and 44 minutes of play.

When all seemed lost, Landaluce showed the heart that characterizes him to advance to the third round of the Parisian major, in a tournament where he arrived without victories in Grand Slams, reaffirming that 2026 is becoming his year of consecration. These are the kind of victories that mark a before and after in a tennis player's career, especially for a young player who has already reached two Masters 1000 quarterfinals this year. Waiting for him in the third round is Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.

Kopriva shuts down Landaluce

The first two sets were an antithesis of what Landaluce represents. The Spanish player started off apathetic, making many errors and lacking the aggressive play that usually characterizes him. Martín began the match with a break but from that moment on, he couldn't win a game throughout the set, losing 6-1 and appearing dejected at all times, while Kopriva dominated from the backhand side as usual.

The second set was more of the same for Landaluce's interests, as he couldn't break free from the web that Kopriva was weaving. In fact, the Czech player once again took a 5-1 lead, and although Martín managed to win one more game, he couldn't avoid the 6-2 score that left him on the brink, both on the scoreboard and in terms of the sensations displayed, hinting at a quick defeat.

Landaluce reacts just in time

However, Landaluce suddenly raised his game to a new level, seemingly by magic, going from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds, not willing to make it easy for Kopriva. In the third set, he saved a break point at 2-2 and then managed to break Vit's serve. Nevertheless, the Czech player broke back, and the match was tightly contested until 5-4. At that moment, Martín unleashed his best shots to close it out at 6-4, seeing a glimmer of hope.

The fourth set didn't start well for Landaluce, who had to save break points on his first two service games to stay alive. However, perseverance pays off, and the break finally came at 2-2 for Kopriva, who was eager to advance to the third round. What the Czech player didn't know is that if there's something that characterizes Martín, it's his fighting spirit, and that's precisely what he displayed. He broke back, played boldly hitting winners on the lines, and at 6-5 in his favor, he broke once again at a crucial moment to force the match into the decisive set. Epicness was within reach.

Landaluce dominates Kopriva in the fifth

In the fifth set, Landaluce was in complete control, while Kopriva looked desperate after squandering his advantage. Not even his backhand shots were enough to overpower Martín, who seemed to have firepower in every shot that landed short for the Czech player. In fact, the Spanish player quickly broke his opponent's serve and took a 3-0 lead to gain a very significant advantage at a crucial moment.

At that point, Kopriva threw in the towel, and Landaluce closed out the match with a 6-0 score, the well-deserved icing on the cake for the fairy tale that the Spanish player lived on court 9. His next opponent will be Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, who caused a major upset by eliminating Jannik Sinner. Many reasons to believe that Martín can achieve something remarkable in this tournament, especially after the surprising turn of events unfolding.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Landaluce remonta de manera épica a Kopriva y sigue soñando en Roland Garros