Grigor Dimitrov’s French Open hopes bit the dust as the fourth seed lost 6(4)-7 2-6 4-6 to Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco in the third round on Friday.
The Bulgarian was pushed to five sets by American Jared Donaldson in the previous round.
Once he failed to convert four set points in the 12th game of the opener against Verdasco and lost the ensuing tiebreak, he looked flat.
The aggressive left-handed Spaniard broke twice in the second set.
Although he allowed Dimitrov back from 4-2 in the third, he broke again to claim his third career win against the 27-year-old.
Verdasco has now reached the last 16 in Paris for the seventh time and will hope to finally break through that barrier, having fallen at that stage on six occasions.
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