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GB's Harris one win away from French Open main draw

Billy Harris makes a forehand
Billy Harris won his first ATP Tour match at November's Sofia Open, aged 28 [Getty Images]

Britain's Billy Harris is one win away from a first Grand Slam main draw appearance after a hard-fought victory in the second round of French Open qualifying.

The 29-year-old beat France's Manuel Guinard 6-3 3-6 7-6 (10-4) on the Paris clay.

However, former world number three Dominic Thiem lost on his final French Open appearance.

Austria's Thiem, who is retiring later this year, fell 6-2 7-5 to Finland's Otto Virtanen.

Thiem was not given a wildcard for Roland Garros, where he is a two-time runner-up.

An on-court ceremony was held for Thiem after his loss, with the 30-year-old presented with a commemorative trophy.

World number 202 Harris is the only Briton left in either the men's or women's qualifying tournaments.

He will play 14th seed Valentin Vacherot of Monaco for a place in the main draw, which starts on Sunday.

Harris won his first match on the ATP Tour in November last year, having spent the start of his professional career driving to tournaments in a Ford Transit van to save money.

He is appearing in only his fourth Grand Slam qualifying contest.