Joao Fonseca added another twist to an already unpredictable Roland Garros, coming from behind to stun Novak Djokovic in five sets last Friday.
Fonseca fought back from two sets down to take out the 24-time major winner, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5. At just 19 years old, he became the first teenager ever to beat Djokovic at a Grand Slam event.
The Serb’s loss ensures a new Grand Slam champion will be crowned on June 7th, with Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic all also knocked out.
Fonseca has now reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time and will face Casper Ruud next.
Young duo Joao Fonseca and Moise Kouame set new marks in Paris
Fonseca isn’t the only young player turning heads in Paris, with local teenager Moise Kouame also making a strong impression.
Kouame, at 17 years and 83 days, is now the second-youngest player this century to reach the third round of a men’s singles Grand Slam. Only Rafael Nadal was younger, hitting the milestone at 17 years and 20 days during Wimbledon 2003.
And like Fonseca, he also has a Grand Slam winner on his list of scalps, having defeated Cilic, who won the US Open back in 2014, in the opening round.
According to Opta Ace, this marks the first time since Roland Garros in 1991 that multiple teenagers have beaten former major champions at a single Grand Slam event.
Back then, Michael Chang and Fabrice Santoro got past Jimmy Connors and Mats Wilander, respectively.
Joao Fonseca’s potential path to a maiden Grand Slam final
With no Djokovic, Sinner, or Carlos Alcaraz left in the draw, Fonseca has a genuine opportunity to go all the way at Roland Garros.
If he manages to get past clay-court specialist Ruud, he’ll then face either Andrey Rublev or Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals.
Reaching the semifinals would likely mean a matchup against Alexander Zverev, who also now finds himself with a golden chance to claim his first major title.
The top half of the draw is definitely looking weaker than the bottom half, so if Fonseca does make it to the final, there’s every chance he could be seen as the favourite.
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