Day ten at Roland Garros delivered something almost unexpected after a tournament packed with marathon battles and endless five-setters: two relatively controlled straight-set wins.
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 suggest.
Menšík continued his impressive fortnight by defeating João Fonseca in the youngest men’s quarter-final in Paris since Rafael Nadal faced 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 favourite well.
Fonseca, Jodar and Menšík have all shown they belong on the biggest stage, but only one of them remains standing in Paris, with the 26th seed looking to be 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 | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Match Recap
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 while Zverev struggled to adapt to the slower conditions under the closed roof.
Social media was, of course, awash with comments that Zverev was nervous and “shitting his pants”, but just as he has done repeatedly throughout this tournament, he stayed calm under pressure.
The German gradually flattened out his groundstrokes, began taking the ball earlier, and completely flipped the momentum by reeling off five of the next six games before dominating the tie-break.
That collapse in the opening set ultimately proved decisive for Jodar, as once Zverev moved ahead, his level stayed super solid.
As has often been the case over the last two seasons, the second seed served superbly throughout the match, winning 71 per cent of points behind 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 consecutive games to take complete control of the contest, and despite some flashes of clay-court expertise from Jodar, the Spaniard was never really able to recover mentally after letting the first set slip away.
Despite that, Jodar also continues to impress. Ranked outside the Top 700 just a year ago, the 19-year-old has exploded during 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 Stats
| Key Stats | Rafael Jodar | Alexander Zverev |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 22 | 35 |
| Unforced Errors | 29 | 35 |
| Aces | 1 | 7 |
| Double Faults | 0 | 0 |
| 1st Serve % | 74% (75/102) | 80% (72/90) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 55% (41/75) | 71% (51/72) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 59% (16/27) | 61% (11/18) |
| Break Points Saved | 55% (6/11) | 83% (5/6) |
| Service Games | 64% (9/14) | 93% (13/14) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 29% (21/72) | 45% (34/75) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 39% (7/18) | 41% (11/27) |
| Break Points 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% (19/26) |
| Total Points | 44% (85/192) | 56% (107/192) |
| Max Points In A Row | 6 | 11 |
| Service Games | 64% (9/14) | 93% (13/14) |
| Return Games | 7% (1/14) | 36% (5/14) |
| Total Games | 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, defeating fellow 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 defence into attack with his own heavy hitting and intelligent court positioning.
The Czech controlled much of the match from the baseline, but not just with raw power, he manoeuvred Fonsca around with some variety and was highly effective when he moved forward.
Menšík disrupted Fonseca’s rhythm with quality net play and delicate touch volleys, winning 38 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 bit 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 twice broke serve but couldn’t hang onto his lead, and the Czech somehow squandered six match points while serving to win at 6-5. One of them was a botched overhead.
But he didn’t let that derail his tie-break as he immediately reset, dominating it with big serving and aggressive shotmaking, finally converting his seventh match point to seal victory after two hours and 33 minutes under the closed Chatrier roof.
As for Fonseca, despite the defeat, he’s had a great tournament. I’ve called him overhyped in the past, but he’s improved his game in quite a few areas.
Next up for Menšík is a semi-final showdown with second seed Alexander Zverev. I think he will be a handful for Sascha as he looks to have a ton of belief after his Navone win. Big serve, hits that backhand down the line great, looks calm, good hands, and moves well.
Match Stats
| Key Stats | Jakub Mensik | João Fonseca |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 47 | 39 |
| Unforced Errors | 39 | 38 |
| Aces | 11 | 6 |
| Double Faults | 4 | 4 |
| 1st Serve % | 65% (66/101) | 72% (91/127) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 83% (55/66) | 62% (56/91) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 33% (12/36) | 58% (22/38) |
| Break Points Saved | 60% (3/5) | 76% (16/21) |
| Service Games | 87% (13/15) | 69% (11/16) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 38% (35/91) | 17% (11/66) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 42% (16/38) | 67% (24/36) |
| Break Points 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% (12/22) |
| Total Points | 51% (117/228) | 49% (111/228) |
| Max Points In A Row | 8 | 7 |
| Service Games | 87% (13/15) | 69% (11/16) |
| Return Games | 31% (5/16) | 13% (2/15) |
| Total Games | 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)
