Teenager Rafael Jodar battled back from two sets down to outlast veteran Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 in their all-Spanish battle of the generations on Sunday, and book a quarterfinal spot in his maiden French Open.
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The 19-year-old clay court specialist, who turned pro only late last year, is seen as one of the dark horses for the title following the surprise exit of several top contenders, including world No 1 Jannick Sinner. He has now won two consecutive five-set matches after edging past Alex Michelsen in the previous round.
Jodar earned an early break to take a 4-2 lead but his opponent stayed patient and was rewarded with four match points on the trot and the first set, as the teenager's form dipped suddenly.
The teenager who had an impressive first clay season on tour with a maiden title in Marrakesh, a last-four spot in Barcelona and the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome, struggled to find a way into the match with 34-year-old Carreno Busta earning two more breaks to go 4-0 up in the second set.
Jodar, who was ranked 707th 12 months ago, sprang back to life, winning three straight games, but could not stop Carreno Busta sealing the second set with a perfect serve and volley on his second set point.
He found a way back into the match with an early break in the third set and won it with more aggressive play and an attacking forehand.
Carreno Busta then took a medical timeout for treatment to his right shoulder but he could not stop the unforced errors piling up, with Jodar clinching two breaks to send the match to a decider.
The teenager showed some nerves at the end but clinched his memorable victory on his fifth match point after three hours and 41 minutes.
Rafael Jodar fourth round highlight ↘️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/bwAXRkInVn
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2026
He will face either second seed Alexander Zverev or Dutchman Jesper De Jong in the last eight.
ZVEREV SPOILS LUCKY LOSER DE JONG'S BIRTHDAY WITH STRAIGHT SETS VICTORY
Second seed Alexander Zverev cruised past lucky loser Jesper De Jong 7-6(3) 6-4 6-1 to book his spot in quarterfinals and edge closer to an elusive maiden Grand Slam title.
The French Open is seen as the 29-year-old's best chance to finally land the first Grand Slam trophy of his career, with many of the top contenders, including world No 1 Jannick Sinner and 24-timed major champion Novak Djokovic, already eliminated.
The pair traded breaks in the first set before Zverev won the tiebreak to take control of the match.
De Jong, ranked 106th in the world who came into the main draw as a lucky loser, was playing the biggest match of his career on his 26th birthday but there was little joy for him.
Zverev, who has now reached the quarterfinals in Paris eight times, was too strong, firing baseline winners seemingly at will, and earning two set points on De Jong's serve at 5-4. He needed only one to move two sets up after the Dutchman sank a volley into the net.
The world No 3 then powered to a 3-0 lead in the third and wrapped up the match a little later when De Jong sent a backhand into the net.
Onto the next round! 🔜#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/5cMjs17uDR
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2026
He will now face Spanish teenager Jodar, who made the quarterfinals in his maiden French Open.
MENSIK HOLDS OFF RUBLEV
Jakub Mensik held off a resurgent Andrey Rublev in five sets to book his first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.
The 20-year-old Czech saw off the 11th-seeded Russian 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen to set up a meeting with either Joao Fonseca or Casper Ruud.
Mensik, who won the Miami Open last season, posted his previous best performance at a major in Melbourne earlier this year but surpassed that fourth-round run with his victory at the same stage over Rublev in the French capital.
Rublev took an early 3-0 lead in the first set, before Mensik responded by winning six games in a row to claim the opener.
Mensik had a chance to serve out the second set at 5-4 but was broken by his 13th-ranked opponent, before clinching the tie-break at the second time of asking with a backhand winner that wrong-footed Rublev.
Rublev riposted by breaking Mensik in the very first game of the third set before serving out to force a fourth frame.
Both players' serves went somewhat haywire as three consecutive breaks opened the fourth set, until Rublev held and broke again to get an insurmountable 4-1 lead.
But Mensik found his range again on serve and forced the crucial break against Rublev in the eighth game of the final set, before firing a huge ace on his first match point to seal victory after three-and-three-quarter hours on court.
A rollercoaster match in Paris 🎢🎾
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2026
Mensik saw a two-set lead disappear, but held his nerve in the fifth to book his place in the quarterfinals 🎟️✅#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/1PPswRGcUY
© Additional reporting by AFP
TEEN TITAN FONSECA TOPPLES RUUD TO MAKE FRENCH OPEN QUARTERFINALS
Brazilian teen sensation Joao Fonseca continued his breakthrough French Open campaign by seeing off twice runner-up and 15th seed Casper Ruud 7-5 7-6(8) 5-7 6-2 on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The 19-year-old fought from two sets down to knock out Novak Djokovic in the third round and emerge as a genuine contender in a topsy-turvy tournament, and his latest victory highlighted his growing confidence and composure on the biggest stage in Paris.
"It was tough, Casper plays good here, I mean he's a very experienced guy and he knows how to play here in this amazing court," Fonseca said in his on-court interview.
"It was tough in the beginning but I played really well in the important moments in the first and second sets. I was very happy because of that.
"I just try to be me on court, try to be happy, try to hit winners, try to hit good shots and bring entertainment."
Playing on Court Philippe Chatrier again, Fonseca sparkled under the lights with some spectacular ball-striking from both flanks and broke in the 12th game to wrap up the first set and draw huge applause from fans.
After an early exchange of breaks in the second set, Fonseca and Ruud were locked in a titanic tussle of power hitting, until the Norwegian squandered three set points and allowed his young opponent to edge an electric tiebreak.
It left Brazilian three-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten beaming as a raucous crowd roared, but Ruud was not done and snatched the third set to ensure the entertaining encounter would trickle into the early hours of Monday morning.
"He's an idol for our sport and country, for his charisma and how humble he is," Fonseca said of Kuerten.
"He was here for my first time at Roland Garros when I was a junior. It is a pleasure to have him here and a pleasure to beat a tough opponent in front of him."
Fonseca raised his level again in the fourth, claiming a double break as the atmosphere reached soccer-like intensity, before world number 30 closed out another famous victory and booked a meeting with Czech Jakub Mensik.