Novak Djokovic Knocked Out Of French Open Third Round By Brazil Teenager Joao Fonseca
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca knocked out Novak Djokovic in the third round of the French Open on Friday to scupper the Serbian great's latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam
- Joao Fonseca, 19, knocked out Novak Djokovic in the French Open third round
- Fonseca rallied from two sets down to win 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in nearly five hours
- Fonseca is through to the last 16 of a Major for the first time
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca knocked Novak Djokovic out in the third round of the French Open on Friday to scupper the Serbian great's latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam. The 19-year-old Fonseca rallied from two sets down for the second straight match to stun Djokovic, winning 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 after four hours and 53 minutes. Fonseca, the 28th seed, is through to the last 16 of a major for the first time. He will next play two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud or American 24th seed Tommy Paul.
Asked how he kept believing after falling behind, Fonseca replied: "I actually didn't. "I just kept playing. I just enjoyed being on court. What a pleasure it was stepping on court with him (Djokovic) for the first time. I was trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. Djokovic, he does not miss."
Djokovic's exit comes a day after the shock elimination of world number one and red-hot title favourite Jannik Sinner. It means there will be a first-time men's Grand Slam champion this year at the French Open, ending a run of nine successive majors won by Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.
Iga Swiatek In Last 16
Igaa Swiatek booked her place in the last 16 of the French Open on Friday. Four-time women's champion Swiatek beat Magda Linette 6-4, 6-4 to begin play on Court Philippe Chatrier, with temperatures set to climb to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) later in the day. Third seed Swiatek dug herself out of an early 2-0 hole against the 35th-ranked Linette, who won their most recent meeting at Miami in March.
Swiatek broke three times in the opening set to nose ahead, and then surged into a 4-1 lead in the second set.
She overcame a stumble as she tried to close it out, before sealing victory to set up an intriguing match-up with the in-form Marta Kostyuk.
"It was a good match. I played much better than Miami," said Swiatek, who moved to appoint Francisco Roig, a longtime coach of Rafael Nadal, in the wake of her loss to Linette two months ago.
Kostyuk, the 15th seed, continued her fine run with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic.
She is unbeaten in 15 matches on clay this season following titles in Madrid and Rouen. "Marta is having a great season. She always had a game to play well," said Swiatek. "So good for her. But I'm going to focus on myself, prepare tactically, as before any other match, and we'll see."
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva swept into the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Czech 27th seed Marie Bouzkova. The eighth-seeded Andreeva goes on to face either 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova or Jil Teichmann on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Andreeva's best Grand Slam run came at Roland Garros in 2024 when she reached the semi-finals.
Novak Djokovic