Marcos turned in another hard-fought match against a fellow ATP veteran, but fell short in his opener at Roland Garros.
Spain's Nicolas Almagro prevailed 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(1) in their first round encounter in Paris. Making his 12th appearance at the clay-court Grand Slam, Marcos battled for three hours and 14 minutes before eventually falling. He fired 35 winners, including six aces, but was unable to overcome Almagro's 67 total winners.
Marcos sprinted out of the blocks, taking the first set in a tie-break after nearly an hour. He would take the one-set lead after Almagro struck four straight errors at 3/3 in the tie-break. And Marcos would continue to exhibit his strong play with a break lead for 3-0 in the second set. But Almagro clawed back, drawing level at a set apiece and eventually emerging with the win in four gripping sets.
Marcos, who was competing in his 47th Grand Slam main draw, will next travel to England to begin the grass-court season. He is scheduled to play at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Surbiton, followed by ATP World Tour appearances in Stuttgart, Halle and either Eastbourne or Antalya, before heading to Wimbledon.
