Day 5 RG Surprises: Hoang wins again; teens take a stand

Each day of Roland Garros, Baseline will sum up the action with a photo gallery of the top surprises.

1

Hoang Carrys On

Wild card Frenchman Antoine Hoang continued his unexpected run with a four-set win over Fernando Verdasco. The world No. 146 had a 1-3 ATP record in 2019 going into Roland Garros, playing mostly on the Challenger and ITF tours during his career. This week marked his first-ever main-draw Grand Slam match.

2

Youth Movement

Two 17-year-old's made some huge statements on Thursday in Paris. Amanda Anisimova dismissed world No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 6-2, clearing her section of any seeds until the quarterfinals. Poland's Iga Swiatek has lost just six games in her first two rounds. The 17-year-old turns 18 on Friday. Ranked No. 104, she's making her Roland Garros debut.

3

Garcia Falls Apart

French No. 1 Caroline Garcia looked well on her way to the third round against Anna Blinkova. She was up 3-0 and 4-2 in the third set and lost 16 of the next 21 points to lose 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. There are no French women in the third round of the Slam.

4

Zverev Looks Stronger

Alexander Zverev had a much-needed good day in the office in beating 20-year-old Mikael Ymer, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Though the German endured a slump for three long months during the spring, he did win the title in Geneva. "Everybody keeps on saying I had a tough year. I mean, I'm still No. 5 in the world," Zverev said. "Somebody's having a tough year is probably outside of the Top 50 or something like that."

5

Del Potro Limps On

It's not surprising that Juan Martin del Potro is still dealing with a right knee injury after fracturing his kneecap last October. It is surprising that he managed to survive a brutal five-setter against Yoshihito Nishioka. Despite needing treatment on his knee, Del Potro didn't give up.

Follow Nina on Twitter @ninapantic1.