Jakub Mensik battled past Brazilian breakout star Joao Fonseca with a 6-4 6-3 7-6(3) win ​to make the semifinals of the French Open on Tuesday and become the ‌youngest Czech man to reach that stage at a Grand ​Slam.

Days after collapsing on the red dirt of Paris ⁠following his second-round victory in sweltering conditions, the 20-year-old shone on a cool evening following a spell of rain to book a last-four clash with title ‌favourite Alexander Zverev.

“I’m still in the match a little bit,” Mensik said in his on-court interview after surpassing compatriot Ivan ‌Lendl who made the 1981 Paris semifinals at the age ‌of ⁠21.

“Joao is a great guy and a great competitor. Before ⁠the match, I knew it would be a tough one. We started a bit nervous and at the end of the match, there were some incredible shots.

“I’m super ​happy I was the one ‌who came back. I managed to stay focused and keep fighting until the end.”

After four straight holds of serve to kick off the contest under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof, the momentum swung ‌when Mensik edged ahead with a break, and the Czech stayed ​firm from there to win the opening set.

The ice-cool Mensik tightened his grip on the contest when the second ⁠set unfolded in similar fashion, as the 19-year-old Fonseca’s serve let him down at a crucial moment and he then struggled to find a ‌way past the wall in front of him.

The youngest Roland Garros men’s quarterfinal since a 20-year-old Rafa Nadal defeated a teenage Novak Djokovic in 2006 looked in danger of becoming a rout as Mensik bagged the set when his opponent pushed a shot wide.

With his adoring Brazilian fans stunned and the frustration rising, Fonseca came out firing ‌in the third set, but was broken when serving for it at 5-4. Mensik ​drew level before wasting six match points and eventually prevailing via a tiebreak.

“The last game and tiebreak was one ⁠of my best performances so far,” added Mensik, who was mentored during his ⁠junior days by Djokovic.

“A couple of matchpoints I didn’t know if the ball was out or in … It was really ‌tough to stay focused until the end and I’m really happy that I managed to come back in the tiebreak and move ​my game a little bit forward.”

Matteo Arnaldi clawed his way back from the brink to ​become the third Italian man in the French Open ‌quarterfinals on Monday (June 1, 2026), outlasting American Frances Tiafoe ​7-6(5) 6-7(5) 3-6 7-6(3) 6-4 in ⁠a delirious late-night epic on court Suzanne-Lenglen.

With the crowd crackling under the Paris floodlights, the world number 104 ‌stared elimination in the face when he trailed 4-1 in the fourth set, ‌only to summon one final surge and ‌prevail ⁠on his third match point after five ⁠hours and 26 minutes of ferocious shot-making and lung-busting rallies.

“It’s a dream to be here. Today in the third set ​I was so ‌tired,” said Arnaldi, the marathon man of this year’s tournament after already needing more than five hours to win his third-round match.

“We live ‌to play these matches, I always wanted ​to play like this at night at Roland Garros.

“It was not tennis, just ⁠something else, with everything we had. Someone had to win. Fortunately, it was me tonight.”

Arnaldi has now ‌spent 17 hours and 42 minutes on court in Paris — the most by any player reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam since the ATP Tour began recording match times in 1991.

The Italian produced moments of almost absurd ‌defence to blunt the power of 19th seed Tiafoe, scrambling ​from corner to corner and somehow turning defence into attack in a match ⁠that repeatedly pushed both men beyond exhaustion.

Tiafoe eventually cracked, ⁠dumping a backhand into the net.

Arnaldi will next face compatriot Matteo Berrettini for a ‌place in the semi-finals, both joining Flavio Cobolli in the last eight after their compatriot ​Jannik Sinner’s surprise second-round exit.

Players would boycott the French ‌Open if their prize money at the claycourt Grand Slam is not increased, women’s ​world number one Aryna Sabalenka said on Tuesday, with Coco Gauff also voicing ⁠support for the drastic step.

The threat deepens a dispute between players and Roland Garros organisers over prize money distribution, even though this year’s tournament offers a 9.5% increase to 61.7 million euros ($72.19 million).

Several top players released a statement ‌on Monday saying they were set to receive prize money that would likely still be less than 15% of tournament revenue, well short of the 22% they demanded ‌to match ATP and WTA combined 1000 events.

When asked how far players might push their ‌demands, ⁠Sabalenka told reporters at the Italian Open: “I think at some point we will boycott ⁠it (the tournament), yeah. I feel like that’s going to be the only way to fight for our rights.

“Let’s see how far we can get, if it’s going to take players for boycott… Some of the things, I feel like it’s really ​unfair to the players. I think at ‌some point it’s going to get to this.”

However, the world number one struck a hopeful note about ongoing negotiations.

“I just really hope that all of the negotiation that we are having, we at some point are going to get to the right decision, to the conclusion that ‌everyone will be happy with,” she added.

Reuters has contacted the French Tennis Federation for comment.

The ​prize money boost of 5.4 million euros compared to 2025 still leaves Roland Garros trailing its Grand Slam rivals.

The U.S. Open offered $90 million last year while Wimbledon ⁠paid out 53.5 million pounds ($72.51 million) and the Australian Open a record A$111.5 million ($80.06 million) this year.

Gauff says players must form union

World number four Gauff said she could “100% see” players boycotting a Grand Slam ‌if they took the decision together as one.

“It’s not about me. It’s about the future of our sport and also the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits, maybe, as even some of the top players are getting when it comes to sponsorship and things like that,” Gauff said.

“We’re making money off court. When you look at the (players ranked) 50 to 100, 50 to 200, how much money each Slam makes, it’s kind of unfortunate where the 200 best tennis players are living ‌paycheck to paycheck.”

Gauff also suggested the players must form a union, highlighting how the WNBA basketball players’ union reached a ​tentative agreement on a collective bargaining deal earlier this year after nearly 17 months of negotiations.

“Just taking what the WNBA accomplished. They also have a union, so I ⁠think that helps,” she added.

“From the things I’ve seen with other sports, usually to make massive progress ⁠and things like this, it takes a union.”

Sabalenka said the players deserved more prize money.

“When you see the number and you see the amount the players are receiving… I feel ‌like the show is on us. I feel like without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment,” Sabalenka added.

“I feel like definitely we deserve to be ​paid more percentage. What can I say?”