The 2025 French Open delivered one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history on Friday, as 19-year-old Brazilian wildcard Joao Fonseca completed a spectacular comeback from two sets down to defeat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, knocking the Serbian great out of the third round and ending his bid for a record-breaking 25th major title.
Fonseca, who already pulled off a similar reverse comeback win in the previous round, pulled off another masterclass in resilient, aggressive power tennis to seal a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory after nearly five hours of brutal baseline battles on the clay of Roland Garros. The shock result marks the first time the teenager has ever advanced to the fourth round of a major tournament, and caps off a seismic 24 hours for the men’s draw that has cleared the path for an unprecedented new champion.
When asked how he maintained belief after falling two sets behind to one of the sport’s most mentally tough competitors, the teen kept his response characteristically grounded. “I actually didn’t [keep believing], I just kept playing. I just enjoyed being on court. What a pleasure it was stepping on court with him for the first time, I was trying to hit the ball as fast as I could. Djokovic, he does not miss,” Fonseca explained after the match.
In a show of class, Djokovic was quick to praise his young opponent’s performance, acknowledging Fonseca outperformed him when it mattered most. “What an incredible match to be part of. Huge credit to Joao for really deserving to win the match. Without a doubt he was the better player in crucial moments,” the 36-year-old said. “He played lights-out tennis. I don’t think I’ve done much wrong with my game. He was just better.” Djokovic has been stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning the 2023 US Open, and with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz already sidelined by injury ahead of this tournament, this was widely seen as one of his best remaining chances to add to his historic haul.
Djokovic’s exit comes just one day after world number one and pre-tournament favorite Jannik Sinner was also knocked out in an earlier upset. Combined, the eliminations of the two most dominant men’s players of the recent Grand Slam era guarantee that the 2025 French Open will crown a first-time men’s Grand Slam champion, breaking a streak of nine consecutive major titles won by either Sinner or Alcaraz. Second seed Alexander Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, now enters the tournament as the clear favorite to capitalize on the wide-open draw, and is set to face French wildcard Quentin Halys in his third round night match. For his next match, Fonseca will take on the winner of the tie between two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud and 24th-seeded American Tommy Paul.
On the women’s side of the draw, four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek continued her steady march toward a fifth title in Paris, advancing to the last 16 with a straight-sets 6-4, 6-4 win over compatriot Magda Linette. Swiatek, who hired former Rafael Nadal coach Francisco Roig after losing to Linette at the Miami Open in March, fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to secure the win, breaking Linette three times in the opening set to grab the momentum before closing out the match in the second. “It was a good match. I played much better than Miami,” Swiatek said of her performance.
The world number one will next face 15th seed Marta Kostyuk, who extended her unbeaten 2025 clay season to 15 matches with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic. Kostyuk, who already picked up clay titles in Madrid and Rouen this season, enters the match in red-hot form. “Marta is having a great season. She always had a game to play well, so good for her. But I’m going to focus on myself, prepare tactically, as before any other match, and we’ll see,” Swiatek said of her upcoming opponent.
Eighth-seeded Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva also advanced to the fourth round with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 win over 27th-seeded Czech Marie Bouzkova, and will next face unseeded Swiss Jil Teichmann, who upset former runner-up Karolina Muchova to claim her spot in the last 16. Elina Svitolina, who recently ended an eight-year title drought by winning the WTA 1000 Rome Open, pushed her winning streak to nine matches with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Tamara Korpatsch, and will next face either 11th seed Belinda Bencic or American Peyton Stearns for a quarterfinal spot. Romanian 18th seed Sorana Cirstea rounded out the day’s women’s results with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 shutout win over Argentina’s Solara Sierra.