French Open 2026 Day Four Recap

Day four at Roland Garros delivered plenty of drama, comeback stories and a highly anticipated third-round matchup.

Novak Djokovic was pushed by home favorite Valentin Royer but found a way through, while 19-year-old Joao Fonseca produced a stunning fightback from two sets down against Dino Prizmic to set up a clash with the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev looked in fine form, Rafael Jodar continued his breakout run, and there were two seeded upsets (Fokina & Humbert) along with plenty of physical battles, including Jakub Mensik’s heroic but convulsive five-set victory over Navone.

Here’s a look at the key matches from day four.

Day Three French Open 2026 Round of 64 Results

Key matches

Novak Djokovic def. Valentin Royer 6-3 6-2 6-7(7) 6-3

Novak Djokovic had to work harder than expected to progress to the third round, overcoming a spirited challenge from home favorite Valentin Royer in just over three hours.

Djokovic dominated the first two sets but let a match point slip in the third set tie-break, allowing Royer to force a fourth set. The 24-time Grand Slam champion regrouped well, breaking early in the fourth and finishing the match professionally on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Despite the warm conditions and limited clay preparation, Djokovic looked solid overall and extended his winning streak against French players to 30 matches, so I still give him a realistic chance to end things.

Rafael Jodar def. James Duckworth 6-1 6-7(5) 6-4 7-5

19-year-old Rafael Jodar continued his breakout season in 2026 with another impressive victory, defeating James Duckworth to reach the third round of a major for the first time.

The young Spaniard cruised through the first set, battled through a medical timeout and a tight third set, then held firm in a tense fourth to secure victory.

Jodar now has a 17-3 record on tour-level clay this season, the second-best start through 20 matches in the Open Era (behind only Andy Roddick).

Thiago Agustin Tirante def. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6 7-6(4) 6-1 6-3

Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante produced a strong comeback win to knock out No. 21 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

After losing the first set, Tirante raised her level significantly, took the second set tie-break and then dominated the final two sets with consistent baseline play and smart tactics.

Afterwards, it was revealed that Fokina was abandoned mid-tournament by her coach, Mariano Puerta (Argentinian doper who reached the 2005 Roland Garros final, losing to Rafael Nadal).

Puerta reportedly left Paris without saying goodbye in person, then sent a long WhatsApp message to Fokina saying he was quitting and wouldn’t continue.

According to Fokina, Puerta then blocked him and his wife on his phone and flew to Miami 🤷‍♀️

Jakub Mensik def. Mariano Navone 6-3 2-6 6-4 1-6 7-6(11)

No. 26 seed Jakub Mensik survived a five-set rollercoaster against Mariano Navone, winning a tie-break in the marathon final 13-11.

The young Czech showed great mental toughness after dropping the second and fourth sets to advance.

After the victory, Mensik fell to the mud and could not get up. He lay on the court for several minutes and received medical treatment. Can he recover for the next game? If not, De Minaur is into Round 4 at full gallop.

Alexander Zverev def. Tomas Machac 6-4 6-2 6-2

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev produced a very impressive performance to reach the third round, comfortably dispatching Tomas Machac in straight sets during the night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Zverev was dominant throughout, serving exceptionally well (including 19 aces, winning over 80% of points after his first + second serve) and not facing a single break point. He controlled the baseline exchanges with his depth and power, barely giving Machac any opportunities, who had a medical timeout for a foot problem.

Joao Fonseca def. Dino Prizmic 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-2

19-year-old Joao Fonseca staged a thrilling comeback from two sets down to defeat Dino Prizmic and reach the third round at Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.

The Brazilian No. 28 seed looked in serious trouble early on as Prizmic (who had beaten Novak Djokovic in Rome) dominated the first two sets.

However, Fonseca found his rhythm in the third set, unleashing his powerful forehand and converting six of seven break points in the final three sets to turn the match in three hours and 27 minutes.

He will now face Novak Djokovic in a highly anticipated third round.

Highlights

Soon.

French Open 2026 Day 5 round of 64 matches