It’s a battle of the young guns for a spot in the French Open semifinals, as Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca takes on Czechia’s Jakub Mensik.
(28) Joao Fonseca vs. (26) Jakub Mensik
Joao Fonseca advanced to the French Open quarterfinals by rallying from two sets down against Novak Djokovic in the third round and then putting away two-time Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud in four. Jakub Mensik had a similarly complicated path. He played a fifth-set tiebreak that ran to 13-11 against Mariano Navone in the second round and literally collapsed on court when it ended. After that he handled Alex de Minaur. Then he went up two sets on Andrey Rublev in the fourth round, gave it all back, and clawed out a fifth. That’s two five-setters in three matches for both players.
This is their first meeting on clay, but Fonseca leads the head-to-head 1-0 from a five-set Next Gen ATP Finals tussle in 2024 (where sets are to four games instead of the standard six). All five sets went to tiebreakers.
There is no denying that the matchup tilts toward Brazilian. The Fonseca forehand is the biggest weapon on the court by a comfortable margin, and he has been hitting through Chatrier all fortnight. He showed against Ruud that he is willing to play long, patient rallies when necessary and pick his spots with his aggressive forehand the moment he gets a short ball.
Mensik’s serve is his calling card — and while clay is the surface where that weapon dulls the most, he has obviously been effective this week. Fonseca’s return has been quietly excellent so far, as well. Mensik isn’t a stranger to the big stage. He won the Miami Masters last year and has proven that he can handle the pressure. It’s just that Fonseca is swinging cleaner, and playing on a surface where his game can hurt the Czech’s the most.
Look for the Brazilian to win yet another five-setter.
Cheryl pick: Fonseca in 5
Ricky pick: Fonseca in 4