French Open: Zverev reaches quarter-finals, teenager Jodar continues impressive run

Second seed Alexander Zverev cruised past lucky loser Jesper De Jong 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday to book his place in the French Open quarter-finals and move closer to an elusive first Grand Slam title.

The French Open is widely seen as the 29-year-old’s best chance to finally lift a major trophy, as several top rivals have already exited the tournament, including world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

De Jong, who is ranked 106th in the world, struggled through the qualifiers before entering the main draw as a lucky loser, playing the biggest match of his career on his 26th birthday.

The Dutchman matched Zverev early on, with the pair trading breaks in a tight opening set. But the German raised his level in the tiebreak and dominated the match with a series of clean baseline winners.

Zverev continued to dictate from the back of the court in the second set, pinning De Jong behind the baseline and forcing errors. At 5-4, he won two set points on the Dutchman’s serve and needed only one when De Jong volleyed into the net.

The world number three raced to a 3-0 lead in the third set and never looked back. He ended the match when De Jong sent a backhand into the net to reach the quarterfinals of the French Open for the eighth time in his career. One of the breakout stars of the tournament awaits him in the round of 16.

IMPRESSIVE RUN BY RAFAEL JORDAR

Teenage sensation Rafael Jodar staged another remarkable comeback at Roland Garros, beating fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in straight sets to book a quarter-final spot on his French Open debut.

The 19-year-old clay-court specialist, who only turned professional late last year, is increasingly seen as a serious contender following the surprise departures of several top seeds. Jodar has now won consecutive five-set matches after overcoming Alex Michelsen in the previous round.

At first, the all-Spanish battle seemed to be going firmly in Carren Busta’s favor.

Jodar broke early to move 4-2 up in the opening set, but the veteran remained patient and took advantage of the teenager’s dip as he reeled off four straight games to take the lead.

Carreno Busta carried that momentum into the second set, claiming two more breaks to take a 4-0 lead. Jodar briefly threatened a comeback as he won three straight games, but the 34-year-old wrapped up the set with a perfectly executed serve winner and volley on his second set point.

With his tournament hanging in the balance, Jodar finally found his rhythm. The teenager broke early in the third set and started to play with more aggression, taking control of the forehand and forcing Carren Busta on the defensive. He cruised through the set to close the deficit and carry the momentum into the fourth.

Carreno Busta took a medical time out to treat his right shoulder and his level dropped noticeably after that. Unforced errors crept into his game as Jodar secured two breaks of serve to force a deciding set.

The momentum was now fully in the hands of the teenager, who continued to dictate play from the baseline in the fifth set. Although there were some nerves as he attempted to seal the biggest win of his career, Jodar eventually converted his fifth match point after three hours and 41 minutes on the court.

His rise over the past 12 months has been remarkable. Jodar, ranked 707th in the world a year ago, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign on clay, winning his first ATP title in Marrakesh, reaching the semi-finals in Barcelona and quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome.

The Spaniard will now face Zverev for a place in the semi-finals, with the experienced German standing between the teenager and a dream trip to Roland Garros.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

31 May 2026 22:06 IST