Mensik Edges Fonseca in Tiebreak to Reach French Open Semifinals After Health Scare

Jakub Mensik defeated Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the French Open quarterfinals on Tuesday at Roland Garros in Paris. The 20-year-old Czech player advanced to the semifinals less than a week after collapsing with cramps during a second-round match against Mariano Navone. Mensik required medical attention on court after that match, limped off, and was pushed away in a wheelchair.

Two days later he dropped the first set 6-0 to Alex de Minaur before winning the next three sets. He also needed five sets to defeat Andrey Rublev in the fourth round. Against Fonseca, Mensik won 13 of 15 serve-and-volley points.

Fonseca won his only serve-and-volley point. Mensik wasted six match points in the final game before Fonseca held serve, then won the tiebreaker 7-3. "It was one of my best performances so far," Mensik said.

He added that after the cramps and dehydration he had increased fluid intake. "The last 20-30 minutes of the match it was just really insane," he said. " Mensik will face second-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

Zverev defeated Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. The 29-year-old German has reached at least two semifinals at every Grand Slam except Wimbledon and has reached three Grand Slam finals without winning a title. Mensik has won two career titles, both on hard courts.

He beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the Miami Open final in 2025 and won in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2026. During his post-match interview on June 2, his mother Katerina Mensikova made a heart shape with her fingers from the stands. Fonseca, a 19-year-old Brazilian, had beaten Djokovic in five sets in the third round and eliminated Casper Ruud in the fourth round before losing to Mensik.