{"id":680980,"date":"2026-06-03T01:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T01:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/680980\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T01:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T01:57:10","slug":"french-open-quarterfinal-recap-jakub-mensik-and-joao-fonsecas-generation-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/680980\/","title":{"rendered":"French Open quarterfinal recap: Jakub Men\u0161\u00edk and Jo\u00e3o Fonseca\u2019s generation game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Follow The Athletic\u2019s French Open coverage<\/a><\/p>\n

Welcome to the French Open briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.<\/p>\n

On Day 10, the ATP kids prove that they are alright, another teenager showed growth and off-court tennis politics continued to rumble.<\/p>\n

Why is the ATP Tour\u2019s next generation in good hands?<\/p>\n

Throughout the early part of this year, and especially against Jo\u00e3o Fonseca in their French Open quarterfinal Tuesday night, Jakub Men\u0161\u00edk has dispelled any doubts about his mental and physical strength.<\/p>\n

Until January\u2019s Australian Open, when he reached the fourth round, the 20-year-old Czech had not made it to the second week of a major. Unfortunately for him in Melbourne, an abdominal injury ruled him out of that fourth round match against Novak Djokovic.<\/p>\n

That had been the story of his Grand Slam career up until this year\u2019s French Open, physical ailments interspersed with brutal five-set defeats.<\/p>\n

And then he arrived in Paris and something clicked. It started in the second round against Mariano Navone, when Men\u0161\u00edk scrapped his way to a five-set win on a boiling hot afternoon and collapsed with full-body cramps at the end of a four-hour-and-41-minute match. Men\u0161\u00edk then took out the No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur in the third round, before surviving another five-setter against Andrey Rublev, the No. 11 seed.<\/p>\n

And so to Tuesday night\u2019s quarterfinal, when having already played 13 hours of tennis in four matches, Men\u0161\u00edk was up against Fonseca, who had spent even longer on court.<\/p>\n

Men\u0161\u00edk won the first two sets in relative comfort, but then came the big physical and mental challenges. He appeared to be hampered by a leg injury and was twice down a break in the third set \u2014 even saving a set point when Fonseca served for it up 5-4. A couple of games later, up 6-5, he forced \u2014 and missed \u2014 six match points. The second disappeared on a butchered smash, which Men\u0161\u00edk would have had nightmares about had he not won. Instead, he took full advantage of the opportunity Fonseca offered him by not serving out at 5-4, and used his unplayable first serve to take a tiebreak and the match 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3).<\/p>\n

Now he has two full days off to recharge physically and mentally before a first semifinal of his Grand Slam career, against the No. 2 seed and tournament favorite Alexander Zverev. Zverev defeated Rafael J\u00f3dar, the 19-year-old Spaniard, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3, earlier on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

All three of Fonseca, Men\u0161\u00edk and J\u00f3dar have had an excellent tournament, and while Fonseca\u2019s ends with statement wins over Novak Djokovic<\/a> and Casper Ruud in the books, Men\u0161\u00edk\u2019s continues. The ATP Tour kids look to be alright.<\/p>\n

How did Mirra Andreeva display her growth?<\/p>\n

When Mirra Andreeva<\/a> woke up Tuesday morning and saw the rain coming down, her mind went back to a year ago. At the 2025 French Open, Andreeva played a quarterfinal under the roof and imploded, unable to deal with a hostile French crowd and a peaking underdog in Lo\u00efs Boisson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Andreeva was so rattled after losing a 5-3 lead (and missing a set point) that she smacked a ball away in anger. As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I was a bit emotional,\u201d Andreeva said in a news conference afterwards. Similar eruptions followed later in the year, and again in 2026, including appearing to curse at spectators in March after her Indian Wells title defence ended after just two matches.<\/p>\n

This time around, despite comparable conditions to last year, there was absolutely no repeat of the meltdown against Boisson. Instead, Andreeva, the world No. 8 from Russia, advanced to her second French Open semifinal with a comprehensive 6-0, 6-3 win over the 36-year-old Sorana C\u00eerstea<\/a>, who has been enjoying a stunning farewell season.<\/p>\n

Andreeva, who didn\u2019t face much adversity Tuesday, was a picture of serenity against a dangerous opponent who has the capacity to get under her opponents\u2019 skin.<\/p>\n

When things could have got tight, after Andreeva was broken back for 3-3 in the second set, there was no panic. She just rattled off the next three games, to set up a mouthwatering semifinal against Ukraine\u2019s Marta Kostyuk,<\/a> who defeated Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in an all-Ukrainian clash<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that Andreeva has only just turned 19, despite this being her second French Open semifinal. C\u00eerstea, almost double Andreeva\u2019s age, is a huge fan of Andreeva, and said she could \u201cabsolutely\u201d see the growth in her from a year ago, and even more recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played her in Linz (in April) and I already feel like she evolved since then,\u201d C\u00efrstea said in a news conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very nice to see her becoming more and more comfortable with herself on the court and dealing with her emotions better. I think she has everything to win a Grand Slam and be No. 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andreeva\u2019s methods for avoiding any d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu included embracing the bad memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually joking a little bit this morning, because it was raining, and I knew that we would play with a closed roof. I was just saying that I have little bit of flashbacks to last year,\u201d she said in her news conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just trying to have flashbacks only about the weather and only about the court with the closed roof, not about how I played. I\u2019m happy that I could turn it around. Completely two different matches comparing to last year, so I\u2019m just happy that I was able to turn things around this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

She can\u2019t play another Frenchwoman, but Kostyuk is very popular here and received rapturous applause when she dedicated her quarterfinal victory over Elina Svitolina to the resilience of her compatriots back home, after another night of bombing during Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. During her news conference, Kostyuk said that if Russian players do not discuss their country\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, \u201cthey have to live with this, not me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kostyuk will have plenty of crowd support against Andreeva, providing her with another test as she looks to reach a first ever Grand Slam final.<\/p>\n

What next in the Grand Slam prize money and reform debate?<\/p>\n

There has been activity off the court at Roland Garros as well as on it over the past couple of days.<\/p>\n

On Monday evening, Larry Scott, an adviser to the group of top players lobbying for change within tennis met with senior officials from the All England Club (AELTC), which organizes Wimbledon. Scott, a former ATP Tour player and ex-WTA chief executive, then met with senior officials at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) representing the U.S. Open on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

A source close to the player group, who was briefed on Scott\u2019s meetings but wasn\u2019t authorized to speak publicly, said that the talks had been direct and productive, with the Grand Slam tournaments appearing to understand the group\u2019s three principal priorities: prize money as a proportion of revenue, contributions to player welfare and consultation of players on changes. The group views Wimbledon\u2019s prize money announcement on June 11 as an important signal of intent.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the AELTC said via email that the All England Club was \u201cpleased to have the opportunity to meet with the players\u2019 representative at Roland Garros. Our discussions about the arrangements for this year\u2019s Championships were positive. We look forward to continuing these discussions in further detail after The Championships.\u201d<\/p>\n

A USTA spokesperson said: \u201cThe USTA can confirm that it held discussions with players, agents, and player representatives during Roland Garros, in accordance with its policy of maintaining open lines of communication. These conversations occurred separately from other tennis entities. The USTA welcomes and remains committed to ongoing dialogue with players.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aryna<\/p>\n

\n Aryna Sabalenka was among tennis stars who limited engagements on this year\u2019s French Open media day. (Daniel Kopatsch \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

During the pre-tournament media day on Friday May 22, Scott, and agents representing the player group, met with officials from the French Tennis Federation \u2014 including Roland Garros tournament director and former world No. 1 Am\u00e9lie Mauresmo. A source briefed on the discussions, who was also not authorized to speak publicly, said the players were encouraged by the FFT\u2019s pledging to offer concrete proposals about increased prize money, player welfare and representation within the next month.<\/p>\n

Mauresmo told reporters in a mixed zone Monday that she was \u201cpretty confident that there will be steps toward each other in a win-win manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The player group, which mobilized in March 2025, has been increasingly vocal over the last month, especially around prize money. Currently Grand Slams put around 15 percent of their annual revenues toward it; the players want that figure to be 22 percent, in line with joint ATP and WTA Tour events, by 2030.<\/p>\n

At the Italian Open in May, stars like Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff raised the possibility of a player boycott of the slams if their demands were not met. Jannik Sinner spoke there and at Roland Garros about a lack of \u201crespect\u201d from the majors. At the French Open pre-tournament media day on Friday May 22, players limited themselves to 15 minutes of media activity \u2014 drawing attention to that 15 percent of revenues figure.<\/p>\n

Drop Shots<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcab Andreeva is into her second French Open semifinal<\/a>. She\u2019s learning how to be a favorite at just 19.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeaa Zverev has lost three Grand Slam finals<\/a>, all to superior players. How will he cope with being the best of the rest?<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f Serena Williams\u2019 first goodbye to tennis<\/a> was a movie. How will the sport receive her return?<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf0d Why the French Open quarterfinals again reveal the impact of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine on tennis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Up next: Quarterfinals continues<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Anna Kalinskaya (22) vs. Maja Chwali\u0144ska (Q)<\/p>\n

5 a.m. ET on TNT, HBO Max<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s Kalinskaya, 27, has never been to a Grand Slam semifinal before. Chwali\u0144ska<\/a>, 24 and from Poland, reached a milestone just by making the third round. Their diametrically opposed game styles should make this a compelling match, with Kalinskaya\u2019s imposing power and Chwali\u0144ska\u2019s ability to manipulate and flex her shot trajectories and speeds. Then there is the opportunity to reach another milestone \u2014 and who will be able to grasp it.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s singles: Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Diana Shnaider (25)<\/p>\n

7:30 a.m. ET on TNT, HBO Max<\/p>\n

Sabalenka, 28, who is seeking her first Grand Slam title on a natural surface, was imperious during her compelling but clarifying win over fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka<\/a> Monday night. Russia\u2019s Shnaider, 22, was similarly impressive during her win over 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, but the Belarusian world No. 1 is simply a different proposition on a clay court.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s singles: F\u00e9lix Auger-Aliassime (4) vs. Flavio Cobolli (10)<\/p>\n

10 a.m. ET on TNT, HBO Max<\/p>\n

The two seeds in this half of the men\u2019s draw meet. Cobolli, 24, and Auger-Aliassime, 25, have been going through the tournament in different ways \u2014 Cobolli with some eyecatching flair that turned into jitters during his fourth-round win; Auger-Aliassime with more jeopardy but also a more even keel. Whoever wins will be favorite to reach the final. That\u2019s a lot to handle.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s singles: Matteo Berrettini vs. Matteo Arnaldi<\/p>\n

Not before 2:15 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n

The upsets in the men\u2019s draw have not just created chaos. They have also allowed players either further down the rankings, or trying to recover from time in the tennis and injury wildernesses, to show off their talents to the world. Arnaldi, 25, is currently outside the top-100, but his comeback win against Frances Tiafoe Monday night into Tuesday morning was an exhibition in shotmaking and otherworldly defense. Berrettini, 30, is back in the late stages of a Grand Slam after a four-year absence. Both Italians have come through dueling five-set duels to get here. Hope they have something left.<\/p>\n

French Open women\u2019s draw 2026French Open men\u2019s draw 2026<\/p>\n

Tell us what you noticed on the 10th day\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Follow The Athletic\u2019s French Open coverage Welcome to the French Open briefing, where The Athletic\u00a0will explain the stories…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[99,1794,428],"class_list":["post-680980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-sports","tag-sports-business","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}