Jakub Mensik reached his first Grand Slam semi-final on Tuesday night at Roland Garros, defeating Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3) in two hours and 33 minutes. The matchup was the youngest men’s quarter-final in Paris since 2006, when a 20-year-old Rafael Nadal beat 19-year-old Novak Djokovic.
Historic Victory for Jakub Mensik
Mensik, 20, handled Fonseca’s power from the baseline and picked his moments to move forward, becoming the first man born in 2004 or later to make a major semi-final. He is also the youngest Czech man ever to reach the last four at a Grand Slam.
Both players were contesting their first major quarter-final. Fonseca entered with momentum but a heavy workload after rallying from two sets down to defeat Djokovic in the third round and then beating two-time finalist Casper Ruud, spending 14 hours and 29 minutes on court across his first four matches. He started slowly on Tuesday, dropping serve after a run of forehand errors, while Mensik’s serve and structured baseline play secured the opening set.
Mensik tightened his grip in the second set by frequently attacking the net and disrupting Fonseca’s rhythm with deft touch. The third set swung back and forth as Mensik was broken twice, but he steadied behind his serve to stay level. After failing to convert six match points in a return game at 6-5, he closed the door in the tie-break to convert his seventh, finishing under the closed roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The Czech won 83% of his first-serve points (54 of 65) and captured 38 of 51 points when he moved to the net. With the result, his live ranking rises to No. 20, while Fonseca climbs to No. 25.
Mensik will face second seed and 2024 finalist Alexander Zverev in Friday’s semi-final. Zverev leads their head-to-head 1-0, and the tournament is set to crown a first-time major champion. This semi-final is expected to be a thrilling encounter, showcasing the talents of two of the brightest young stars in tennis today.