“There are ups and downs during the match, but in the end, winning matches like that is what made me dream when I was little, to experience emotions like that in front of a packed crowd on a prestigious court like Suzanne-Lenglen,” Auger-Aliassime said.

“So I really enjoyed myself. It wasn't easy every time, but in the end, winning is pure joy. Honestly, there are no tactics left at the end. It's every single ball, every single ball, you give it your all on every single ball and you try to do your best.”

The pair had split four previous meetings including both on clay last season when Altmaier prevailed at the Monte-Carlo Masters before Auger-Aliassime rebounded a month later in Hamburg.

The first Canadian to hold a top-four seed at a Slam since Milos Raonic at the 2017 Australian Open, Auger-Aliassime came in with a 4-4 record on clay this year with the highlight a quarterfinal showing in Monte-Carlo, but Altmaier had sounded a warning with victory over world No.6 Ben Shelton to reach the Hamburg last eight last week.

The 57th-ranked Altmaier boasted an impressive record on these courts.

He came into the showdown with a respectable 7-12 win-loss stat against top-10 opponents at tour level, but when narrowed down to Roland-Garros alone, it stood at an imposing 3-1.

Last year, he stunned fourth seed Taylor Fritz in the opening round, in 2023 he outlasted eighth seed Jannik Sinner in five sets in the second round, while three years earlier, as a 186th-ranked qualifier, he had seventh seed Matteo Berrettini’s measure in the third round.

Auger-Aliassime, who reached the fourth round both times he won his opening match previously, was intent his name would not be added to the list.

From 1-4 in the deciding set, the 25-year-old carved a path back and steadied to sneak the match tiebreak on back-to-back errors long from his opponent to keep his campaign alive and set a meeting with Argentine world No.68 Roman Burruchaga.

“You try to take your time, to breathe properly between points, but in the end, once the point starts, you play with your heart, with your gut,” he said.

“Of course, there can only be one winner and obviously I'm very happy that it's me today.

“I also have to give credit to Daniel, who played a great match today. We've always had some good battles, he and I.

“I think I was a different player after the third set. I took a little break in the locker room and I think I cleared my head and I think I came out with renewed energy.”