Alexander Zverev defeated Jesper De Jong 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1 on May 31 to reach the French Open quarter-finals at Roland Garros [1, 2, 3]. De Jong, ranked 106th and a lucky loser, played on his 26th birthday and reached his career-best Grand Slam round before losing to Zverev [1, 2, 3]. "It was a bit difficult in the beginning. I didn't start strong and he started really fast. But once I found my rhythm, I was comfortable," Zverev said after the match [2].
On June 2, Zverev beat Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the semi-finals [4, 5, 6, 7]. Jodar, 19, was playing in his first French Open and his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final after emerging as a rising talent during the 2026 clay season [5, 8, 7, 9]. Jodar said the run taught him the need for consistency against top players. "If you want to compete against the best players in the world, you have to keep your level all the time the same," he said [8]. He added, "What I learned about me is that I can compete against anyone. But I still have to improve a lot of things that these matches will help me to improve" [8].
Zverev is the second seed at Roland Garros and the favorite for the title after the early exits of top seeds Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, and the absence of Carlos Alcaraz due to injury [1, 4, 10, 7]. He has reached the French Open semi-finals five times in the last six years and the quarter-finals eight times in his career [1, 4, 6]. He has won 24 ATP titles, including seven Masters titles and two ATP Tour Finals titles, but is still seeking his first Grand Slam championship after being runner-up three times [2, 5, 10].
Zverev downplayed being labeled the favorite, saying, "I focus on next match, and I focus on the opponent as they cross the net, and that’s the only thing that I can control" [10]. He said about the young generation on tour, "We have a great group of young players that are playing fantastic tennis. We have a lot of potential on the tour right now" [8].
Zverev will face either 19-year-old Joao Fonseca or 20-year-old Jakub Mensik in the semi-finals, both seeking their first Grand Slam semi-final appearance [4, 5, 6]. The semi-final is set to take place later this week at Roland Garros.
