Day ten at Roland Garros delivered something almost unexpected after a tournament packed with marathon battles and endless five-setters: two relatively controlled straight sets victories.
After upsets, comebacks and physical epics, both Alexander Zverev and Jakub Menšík managed to navigate their quarter-finals in three sets, although neither victory was as straightforward as the scorelines initially suggested.
Menšík continued his impressive fortnight by defeating João Fonseca in the youngest men’s quarter-final in Paris since Rafael Nadal met Novak Djokovic in 2006, while Zverev halted the rise of Rafael Jodar to move within two wins of the Grand Slam title that has long eluded him.
The German has largely avoided the chaos engulfing the rest of the draw and has so far handled the pressure of being the title favorite well.
Fonseca, Jodar and Menšík have all shown they belong on the biggest stage, but only one of them remains in Paris, with the 26th seed looking set to become the first Czech man to make a Slam final since Berdych at Wimbledon in 2010.
Day ten French Open 2026 quarter-final results
| Winner | Loser | Score line |
|---|---|---|
| Jakub Mensik (26) | João Fonseca (28) | 6-4 6-3 7-6(3) |
| Alexander Zverev (2) | Rafael Jodar (27) | 7-6(3) 6-1 6-3 |
Summary of the match
Alexander Zverev (2) def. Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3
Alexander Zverev continued his steady march through Roland Garros with a composed straight sets win over breakout Spaniard Rafael Jodar to book his place in the semi-finals.
For a while it looked like Jodar might produce another upset. The 19-year-old came out swinging on Court Philippe-Chatrier, using his heavy forehand brilliantly to race into a 5-2 lead in the opening set as Zverev struggled to adapt to the slower conditions under the closed roof.
Social media was of course awash with comments about Zverev being nervous and “shitting his pants”, but as he has done several times throughout this tournament, he kept his cool under pressure.
The German gradually leveled out his groundstrokes, started taking the ball earlier and completely reversed the momentum by reeling off five of the next six games before dominating the tie-break.
That opening-set collapse ultimately proved decisive for Jodar, as once Zverev went ahead, his level remained super-solid.
As has often been the case over the past two seasons, the second seed served superbly throughout the match, winning 71 percent of the points on his first serve and controlling rallies with more aggressive hitting than we’re used to from him.
From 1-1 in the second set, Zverev ripped through seven games in a row to take complete control of the contest, and despite some flashes of clay court expertise from Jodar, the Spaniard could never quite recover mentally after letting the first set slip away.
Even so, Jodar continues to impress. Ranked outside the Top 700 just a year ago, the 19-year-old has exploded into the 2026 clay season with a title in Marrakech, deep runs in Madrid and Rome, and now a quarter-final appearance on his Roland Garros debut.
Match statistics
| Key statistics | Rafael Jodar | Alexander Zverev |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 22 | 35 |
| Unforced errors | 29 | 35 |
| Ace | 1 | 7 |
| Double mistake | 0 | 0 |
| 1st serving % | 74% (75/102) | 80% (72/90) |
| 1st Serve point won | 55% (41/75) | 71% (51/72) |
| 2nd serve point won | 59% (16/27) | 61% (11/18) |
| Breakpoints saved | 55% (6/11) | 83% (5/6) |
| Service game | 64% (9/14) | 93% (13/14) |
| 1st return point won | 29% (21/72) | 45% (34/75) |
| 2nd return point won | 39% (7/18) | 41% (27/11) |
| Break point won | 17% (1/6) | 45% (5/11) |
| Pressure points | 41% (7/17) | 59% (10/17) |
| Service points | 56% (57/102) | 69% (62/90) |
| Return points | 31% (28/90) | 44% (45/102) |
| Net points | 79% (15/19) | 73% (26/19) |
| Total points | 44% (85/192) | 56% (107/192) |
| Max points in a row | 6 | 11 |
| Service game | 64% (9/14) | 93% (13/14) |
| Return game | 7% (1/14) | 36% (5/14) |
| Total game | 36% (10/28) | 64% (18/28) |
| Max games in a row | 3 | 7 |
Highlights
Jakub Mensik (26) def. João Fonseca 6-4 6-3 7-6(3)
Jakub Menšík continued his excellent Roland Garros run, defeating teenager João Fonseca to reach the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career.
Menšík delivered a remarkably composed performance, absorbing Fonseca’s explosive power before repeatedly turning defense into attack with his own heavy striking and intelligent court positioning.
The Czech controlled much of the match from the baseline, but not just with raw power, he maneuvered around Fonsca with little variation and was very effective when going forward.
Menšík disrupted Fonseca’s rhythm with quality net play and delicate touch volleys, winning 38 out of 51 points, which was very impressive.
Fonseca couldn’t reach the explosive level he produced against Djokovic and Ruud, and I thought he looked a little flat, opting for the drop shot a little too often, and he didn’t really have a way to counter Menšík’s game plan.
The fourth, however, could have been different. Fonseca broke serve twice but could not hold on to his lead, and the Czech somehow squandered six match points while serving to win 6-5. One of them was a broken overhead.
But he didn’t let that derail his tie-break as he immediately recovered, dominating it with big serves and aggressive shots, eventually converting his seventh match point to win after two hours and 33 minutes under the closed Chatrier roof.
As for Fonseca, despite the defeat, he has had a fantastic tournament. I’ve called him overhyped before, but he’s improved his game in quite a few areas.
Next up for Menšík is a semifinal showdown with second-seeded Alexander Zverev. I think he will be a handful for Sascha as he looks to have a ton of faith after his Navone win. Big serve, hits that backhand well, looks calm, good hands and moves well.
Match statistics
| Key statistics | Jakub Mensik | João Fonseca |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | 47 | 39 |
| Unforced errors | 39 | 38 |
| Ace | 11 | 6 |
| Double mistake | 4 | 4 |
| 1st serving % | 65% (66/101) | 72% (91/127) |
| 1st Serve point won | 83% (55/66) | 62% (56/91) |
| 2nd serve point won | 33% (12/36) | 58% (22/38) |
| Breakpoints saved | 60% (3/5) | 76% (16/21) |
| Service game | 87% (13/15) | 69% (11/16) |
| 1st return point won | 38% (35/91) | 17% (11/66) |
| 2nd return point won | 42% (16/38) | 67% (24/36) |
| Break point won | 24% (5/21) | 40% (2/5) |
| Pressure points | 47% (24/51) | 53% (27/51) |
| Service points | 65% (66/101) | 60% (76/127) |
| Return points | 40% (51/127) | 35% (35/101) |
| Net points | 73% (36/49) | 55% (22/12) |
| Total points | 51% (117/228) | 49% (111/228) |
| Max points in a row | 8 | 7 |
| Service game | 87% (13/15) | 69% (11/16) |
| Return game | 31% (5/16) | 13% (2/15) |
| Total game | 58% (18/31) | 42% (13/31) |
| Max games in a row | 3 | 3 |
Highlights
French Open 2026 Day 11 round of quarter-final matches
- Matteo Berrettini vs Matteo Arnaldi
- Félix Auger-Aliassime (4) vs Flavio Cobolli (10)
