Camille Naredo

Brazil's Joao Fonseca celebrates after winning against Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the end of their men's singles match on day 6 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 29, 2026. Thomas Samson, AFP

Brazil's Joao Fonseca celebrates after winning against Serbia's Novak Djokovic at the end of their men's singles match on day 6 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 29, 2026. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

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French Open

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1780108590839AFP__20260529__B4FW6QM__v1__MidRes__TennisFraOpen2026.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Brazil&#x27;s Joao Fonseca celebrates after winning against Serbia&#x27;s Novak Djokovic at the end of their men&#x27;s singles match on day 6 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 29, 2026. Thomas Samson, AFP" width="960"/>Brazil&#x27;s Joao Fonseca celebrates after winning against Serbia&#x27;s Novak Djokovic at the end of their men&#x27;s singles match on day 6 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 29, 2026. Thomas Samson, AFP</div>PARIS, France -- Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca knocked Novak Djokovic out in the third round of the French Open on Friday to scupper the Serbian great&#x27;s latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam.Fonseca, 19, rallied from two sets down for the second straight match to stun the 39-year-old Djokovic with a phenomenal display of power-hitting.Fonseca triumphed 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 after four hours and 53 minutes to make the last 16 of a major for the first time.Asked how he kept believing after falling behind, Fonseca replied: &quot;I actually didn&#x27;t.&quot;I just kept playing and enjoyed being on court. What an idol we have (in Djokovic) and what a pleasure it was to step on the court against him.&quot;I was just trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. Djokovic doesn&#x27;t miss and we still think he&#x27;s 20.&quot;Djokovic&#x27;s exit comes a day after the shock elimination of world number one and red-hot title favourite Jannik Sinner.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/5/29/tennis-ailing-sinner-crashes-out-of-french-open-sabalenka-through-1247">READ: Ailing Sinner crashes out of French Open, Sabalenka through</a></div>It means there will be a first-time men&#x27;s Grand Slam champion this year at the French Open, ending a run of nine successive majors won by Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.&quot;What an incredible match to be part of,&quot; said Djokovic, who had led by a break early in the final set but was unable to see it through.&quot;Huge credit to Joao for really deserving to win the match. Without a doubt he was the better player in crucial moments.&quot;Djokovic has been stuck on 24 majors since the 2023 US Open and may not get a better chance to add to that haul. Two-time defending champion Alcaraz was already absent in Paris due to injury.&quot;You just have to say well done and congratulate him. He played lights-out tennis,&quot; Djokovic said of Fonseca.&quot;I don&#x27;t think I&#x27;ve done much wrong. He was just better.&quot;Fonseca will next play two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud, who saved two match points in a 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5 win over 24th seed Tommy Paul.A wide open draw could pave the way for Alexander Zverev to get his hands on an elusive Grand Slam trophy.Second seed Zverev, a three-time runner-up at the majors including two years ago in Paris, saw off Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in the night session.Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar outlasted Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (5/7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to extend his best Grand Slam run.Dutchman Jesper de Jong took down 13th seed Karen Khachanov in five sets to also reach the last 16 for the first time.Andrey Rublev beat Nuno Borges in straight sets, while Jakub Mensik dumped out eighth seed Alex de Minaur 0-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.<div> </div><div>- Swiatek and Andreeva move on -</div>Iga Swiatek booked her place in the last 16 of the women&#x27;s draw with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Magda Linette in an all-Polish affair.Four-time women&#x27;s champion 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.&quot;It was a good match. I played much better than Miami,&quot; 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&#x27;s Viktorija Golubic.She is unbeaten in 15 matches on clay this season following titles in Madrid and Rouen.&quot;Marta is having a great season. She always had a game to play well,&quot; said Swiatek.&quot;So good for her. But I&#x27;m going to focus on myself, prepare tactically, as before any other match.&quot;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 Swiss world number 170 Jil Teichmann, who sent former French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova packing.Elina Svitolina extended her winning run to nine matches, easing into the second week with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Tamara Korpatsch.Svitolina, who ended an eight-year wait for another WTA 1000 title in Rome, meets Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic for a place in the quarter-finals.Romanian 18th seed Sorana Cirstea demolished Argentina&#x27;s Solana Sierra 6-0, 6-0.

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.

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.

Tennis: Fonseca blasts Djokovic out of French Open after epic comeback

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Tennis: Fonseca blasts Djokovic out of French Open after epic comeback

Martyn Wood,

Agence France-Presse

Published May 30, 2026 10:41 AM PHT

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tennis

French Open

Roland Garros

Joao Fonseca

Novak Djokovic

Jannik Sinner

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