Headlined by an incredible first week, the 2026 French Open was one to remember on the men’s side — even if it lacked a whole lot of star power. Carlos Alcaraz did not play; neither did Lorenzo Musetti, Arthur Fils, Jack Draper, and Holger Rune. Jannik Sinner lost in the second round; Novak Djokovic lost in the third round.
But what Roland Garros was missing in terms of big names, it made up for with amazing matches.
Let’s take a look back at the 10 best.
Honorable mention. Final: Alexander Zverev d. Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1
Was the quality the highest? No. But if a Grand Slam final goes to a fifth set, it shouldn’t be completely left off the list. And it improved a lot after what was a snoozer of a first set. Full credit to Cobolli for managing to make it competitive — and forcing a decider with a dramatic forehand winner at 6-5 in the tiebreaker following the miss of his career just one point earlier. And full credit to Zverev for holding his nerve and playing a near-flawless fifth with his first major title on the line.
10. Third round: Juan Manuel Cerundolo d. Martin Landaluce 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(10-8)
How do you follow up the biggest upset of the tournament? By winning the longest French Open match of the fifth-set tiebreaker era. Two days after coming back from two sets down to stun Sinner (with plenty of help in the form of the Italian’s physical ailments), Cerundolo got right back in gear to battle Landaluce for five hours and 58 minutes. The last four sets all required tiebreakers. Both players finished with more winners than unforced errors — always an impressive ratio on clay. Cerundolo erased a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set and won the last four points of the match after trailing 8-6 in the super-‘breaker.
9. First round: Felix Auger-Aliassime d. Daniel Altmaier 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(10-7)
He eventually reached the quarterfinals, but Auger-Aliassime was almost out of the tournament in round one. And it really wouldn’t have been that big of a shock, because Altmaier is a rough draw at Roland Garros for anyone. The 27-year-old German beat Taylor Fritz en route to the fourth round last spring and upset Sinner in the 2024 second round. Altmaier led two sets to one and also by 3-0 in the fifth, but he could not get across the finish line. Auger-Aliassime served his way to victory in the end, firing at 74 percent in the final set while winning 82 percent of his first-serve points and striking four aces. The Canadian survived after four hours and 16 minutes of play.
8. Third round: Matteo Berretti d. Francisco Comesana 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(15-13)
Berrettini vs. Comesana was one of the longest matches of the fortnight at five hours and 13 minutes, and no match went deeper into a fifth set. It was a decider that could not have been more competitive. Neither man dropped serve (neither one even faced a break point) and nobody ever led by more than a single mini-break in the super-tiebreaker. Berrettini saved two match points in the ‘breaker, including with a 16-ball rally at 12-13. Comesana fought off three match points before Berrettini finally converted his fifth chance. The Argentine struck a whopping 20 aces (the same number as his big-serving opponent) and had more winners than unforced errors — and still lost.
7. Fourth round: Jakub Mensik d. Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(6), 4-6, 2-6, 6-3
Mensik should have been out of the tournament in round two; he could have been out of the tournament in round four. After outlasting Mariano Navone (see below), the Czech recovered to upset Alex de Minaur in four sets two days later and still had enough left in the tank to win a second five-setter — this time against Rublev. The Russian committed only 36 unforced errors in five sets over course of three hours and 55 minutes, but he still couldn’t find the win column. Mensik’s firepower proved to be too much in the end, thus denying Rublev an 11th Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance (and ultimately a good chance at a first semifinal result).
6. Second round: Jakub Mensik d. Mariano Navone 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(13-11)
A record heat wave in Paris — and throughout all of Europe — during the entire first week at Roland Garros almost proved to be Mensik’s undoing. An in-form clay-court specialist as his second-round opponent also didn’t help. Somehow, though, the 20-year-old managed to survive — in the truest sense of the word. Despite dealing with leg cramps throughout the fifth set, Mensik played an amazing tiebreaker to win one of the tournament’s most dramatic matches — certainly the most dramatic one played on an outer court. After squandering six match points (two with Navone serving at 4-5 and four more in the ‘breaker), Mensik finally converted with a merciful forehand winner at 12-11. He immediately collapsed to the clay and remained there for approximately 10 minutes while receiving medical assistance.
5. Second-round Moise Kouame d. Daniel Adolfo Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(10-8)
If not for Sinner’s loss to Cerundolo that was taking place at exactly the same time, Kouame would have been the story of the tournament. Instead, the 17-year-old’s thrilling second-round win over Vallejo got lost in the shuffle a bit — but fans who experienced the Suzanne Lenglen atmosphere won’t soon forget it. After Kouame saw a two-set lead evaporate, the Frenchman showed incredible resolve in the fifth. He came back from 5-2 down and also recovered from squandering a 6-1 lead in the tiebreaker. After dropping six straight points to fall behind 7-6, Koume reeled off four of the final five points to clinch victory. Both players recorded six more winners than errors over the course of four hours and 56 minutes.
4. Fourth round: Joao Fonseca d. Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6(8), 5-7, 6-2
If Ruud had managed to make it a bit more competitive late, this could have been even higher on the list. It may not have gone five sets, but the quality was stellar — especially in the second set. It probably has to be considered the best single set of the entire tournament. After trading a pair of early breaks, Ruud and Fonseca battled through two wild games in advance of the tiebreaker. Fonseca held for 6-5 following six deuces, saving three break points. Ruud held for 6-6 following five deuces, fighting off two set points. The Norwegian had set points at 6-5, 7-6, and 8-7 only to Fonseca capitalize on his first opportunity at 9-8. The teenager eventually prevailed in three hours and 55 minutes for a spot in his first major quarterfinal.
3. Third round: Casper Ruud d. Tommy Paul 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), 7-5
Ruud was on the right end of a thrilling match two days earlier. It has to be said that the two-time runner-up really had no business winning it — and Paul had no business losing it. Whether you watched the match or just looked at the stats, it’s probably impossible to understand the outcome. Paul won more total points and finished +33 in winners to unforced errors, whereas Ruud was -1. It came down to big points. There were 17 break points in the match; Ruud won 15 of them (converted all three of his chances while saving 12 of 14 on his own serve). Ruud saved two match points while serving at 4-5 in the fourth set before going on to triumph in four hours and 43 minutes.
2. Fourth round: Matteo Arnaldi d. Frances Tiafoe 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4
In terms of drama, atmosphere, momentum swings, and sustained quality from start to finish, Arnaldi vs. Tiafoe was arguably the best match of the tournament. It had it all. Arnaldi jumped out to a set lead, dropped the next two, and was seemingly on the next flight out of Paris with Tiafoe serving at 4-1, 40-15 in the fourth. Shockingly, the Italian got both of the breaks back and won the ensuing tiebreaker to improbably force a fifth. Tiafoe controlled a vast majority of the baseline rallies, but Arnaldi’s mind-boggling defense proved to be too much for the American in the end. Arnaldi won in five hours and 26 minutes on his way to the semifinals.
1. Third round: Joao Fonseca d. Novak Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
Fonseca was obviously a huge star — especially amongst his Brazilian supporters — well before this French Open. This match against Djokovic, though, will be the one that is remembered as what really sent Fonseca on his way. The 19-year-old had already come back from two sets down against Dino Prizmic in the previous round two days earlier. However, accomplishing that feat against Djokovic on Court Philippe Chatrier is a lot different than doing so against Prizmic on Court 14. But Fonseca was up to the challenge. After battling back to force a fifth, the No. 28 seed came up with a crucial break at 5-5 and then served it out in memorable fashion — striking three consecutive aces from 30-40 down.