Left Lebanon at 12, youngest qualifier, 1447th worldwide… Frenchman Daniel Jade wins over the crowd at Roland

In Lebanon and naturalized French in 2023, the youngest of the qualifiers had to bow out in the second round on Wednesday after causing a sensation by eliminating Daniel Evans, former 21st in the world, in the first round.

His journey ended in the second round, but he will have made a name for himself among the French public. Daniel Jade, 17 years old and ranked 1447th in the world, was defeated in the second round of the Roland-Garros qualifiers on Wednesday, May 20, against August Holmgren, 155th in the world (6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour 5 minutes).

After a superb first round, for his debut on the clay courts of Auteuil, where he outclassed the… eldest in these qualifiers, Daniel Evans (35 years old), former 21st in the world (in 2023) now 211th, the challenge was too high on Wednesday against the tall and powerful Dane (1.88 m). “I feel a little disappointed of course. It was not an easy match for me. He played really well from start to finish, especially in his serving,” admitted the young Frenchman.

With one round passed, the youngest Frenchman to do so in qualifications since Gabriel Debru in 2022, his journey at Roland-Garros is successful. “It’s definitely positive overall, because I still have a victory in my first Roland Garros, and I am quite satisfied with my level of play,” he assured.

Arriving in Normandy, in Mont Saint-Aignan, a different child was observed. “From the first few weeks, we saw that he had an exceptional capacity for resilience, an adaptability, and outstanding situational intelligence,” rewound Olivier Halbout, the president of the Normandy Tennis League.

Finalist in 2023 at the Petits As, the biggest youth tournament in the world, Daniel Jade has since continued his rise, with a triple just before Roland-Garros during the Azur junior tournament tour (Cap d’Ail, Istres, and Beaulieu-sur-Mer). “I was naturalized after the Petits As, and now I play under the French flag. I live here all year round. I am at the national training center [just next to Roland Garros] all year round, I sleep there in the dormitory, I train there, I’m there all the time in a nutshell!” smiled the player.

Before returning to Porte d’Auteuil from May 31 to participate in the junior tournament, where “it would be cool to have the title,” Daniel Jade will compete in the Carnac tournament in Brittany (Morbihan). With a slightly different status and raised ambitions after adding a former top 25 player to his list of conquests. “It’s a step, it can even unblock a bit for people to know me a little more. It’s a Grand Slam, so it’s still highly publicized, plus it’s at home. So as a Frenchman, it’s great,” the player concluded.