'IT'S CLEAR WHAT HAPPENED': FRENCH STAR'S OPPONENT IRRITATED OVER MEDICAL TIMEOUT

An extraordinary contest ended with an iconic celebration from Arthur Fils. (Getty/Dimitar Dilkoff)

In a match that will go down as one of the wildest for this year's Roland-Garros, French hope Arthur Fils pulled out a miraculous victory in front of a fanatical Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Cruising at the start of the third with a two-set cushion, Fils, the 14th-seed, physically struggled as he won only two games in the next two sets over Spain's Jaume Munar.

Down a break and later facing three break points at 4-4 0-40 in the decider with a third-round date on the line, the 20-year-old Frenchman suddenly found an extra gear and used the local support to his advantage, sending Munar packing.

Less than 24 hours beforehand, his compatriot, Gaël Monfils, won an epic five-setter on Court Philippe-Chatrier, with Fils admitting post-match that the 38-year-old magician inspired him.

"I was in the five set and I was thinking of Gaël," Fils said. "Gaël had to turn around a lot of matches in five sets. So I thought, Arthur, this is yours. You have to do the same. Go for it."

But seemingly on the verge of retirement, a niggling back injury forced Fils to require medical attention, subsequently halting play.

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Given his ability to fight back without an inkling of injury, Munar hinted that his opponent was faking it for his benefit.

"He was attended by the doctor due to an alleged back injury, but I am convinced what he suffered were cramps. In that case, he couldn't have been attended," said Munar.

"The break didn't bother me, but that's the way it is. If you have a real injury, you don't play the fifth set like he did. I have suffered many cramps throughout my career, suffered a lot because of them, and I know perfectly well how it works. You have a huge drop for a while, and when you no longer feel competitive and consider the match lost, the tension drops, the cramps ease a bit, and you return to your level.

"Additionally, I saw him drinking pickle juice in the last sets, so it's clear what happened."

Fils and 17th-seed Andrey Rublev are scheduled to meet for a spot in the round of 16.

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