At just 19 years old, Joao Fonseca produced one of the most stunning comebacks of Roland-Garros 2026. Trailing Dino Prizmic by two sets to love, the Brazilian found reserves of resilience to prevail 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 in three hours and 27 minutes in the second round.
The opening two sets painted a grim picture. Prizmic, 20, controlled exchanges from the baseline and stripped Fonseca of his offensive weapons. The Croatian dominated rallies, punishing any short ball to close at the net. At two sets down, the match appeared over.
Everything changed in the third set. Fonseca raised his serving level, rediscovered his natural forehand power and began dictating the tempo. What followed was a masterclass: the Brazilian converted six of seven break points across the final three sets. His first-serve points won climbed from 59% in the third set to 73% and 81% in the fourth and fifth, while Prizmic collapsed to 55% and 38%.
This comeback places Fonseca in rare company. He becomes only the third teenager this century to win a Grand Slam main-draw match after trailing by two sets, following Roger Federer in 2001 and Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2015. The Rio de Janeiro native also becomes the first Brazilian man to reach the Roland-Garros third round in consecutive years since Thomaz Bellucci in 2010-2011.
Next up is a generational showdown with Novak Djokovic. The 24-time Grand Slam champion dispatched Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(9), 6-3, losing focus briefly in a third-set tiebreak before reasserting control. At 39, Djokovic is chasing a 25th major title on a surface where he has triumphed three times.
"For me it's just a big pleasure," Fonseca said after the match. "I always tell my coach I want to be in Novak's draw. Playing against an idol, the greatest of the sport, in the third round of Roland-Garros: it's just a dream."
