Mumbai: The 2026 French Open has witnessed a new wave of fresh faces, with three teenagers making history in Paris. Joao Fonseca, Rafael Jodar, and Jakub Mensik have entered the last eight at Roland Garros, marking their first-ever quarter-final appearance in a Slam.
For the first time this century, three players below 21 will battle for a men's singles semi-final spot in a Slam, with one of them guaranteed to get there on Tuesday. This feat is only the fifth time in the last four decades that two teenagers have made the men's singles quarter-finals in a Slam.
Fonseca, who knocked out 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic from two sets to love down, continued to dazzle in a four-set fourth-round win over former French Open finalist Casper Ruud. Jodar, who started the year as world No.165 and is presently at a career-high 29, rallied from two sets to love down to beat senior compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta.
Mensik, who collapsed on court and couldn't move after a cramp-hit second-round win in the blazing Paris heat, still found enough legs to go past 8th seed Alex de Minaur and 11th seed Andrey Rublev in the next two rounds.
These three newbies have provided a refreshing touch to the French Open, giving the tennis world a different direction from the Sinner-vs-Alcaraz-vs-Djokovic trilogy.
