Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated Alexei Popyrin 4–6, 7–6, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 in the first round of Roland Garros on clay on 28 May 2024, producing an upset against the pre-match favourite. Popyrin, seeded as the slight favourite at 1.87 odds, could not maintain his advantage through a gruelling five-set encounter. Kokkinakis, operating at 2.04 odds, fought back from a set down to take control in the middle stages, securing the second set via tiebreak before extending his lead with a commanding third-set performance. Though Popyrin briefly threatened a comeback by claiming the fourth set, Kokkinakis proved more resilient in the decider, closing out the match decisively. The result marks a significant scalp for Kokkinakis at the French Open and raises questions about Popyrin's consistency on the clay circuit.