French Open: Novak Djokovic upset by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in third round

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A day after Jannik Sinner — the men’s top-ranked player — fell at the 2026 French Open, another highly-ranked competitor suffered a premature defeat. Novak Djokovic was shockingly eliminated from the event Friday, losing in five sets to Joao Fonseca.

It looked like the 39-year-old Djokovic would cruise to a victory early, as he won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4. From there, however, Fonseca started to claw his way back into the match. After a 6-3 win in the third set, Fonseca won the fourth set 7-5, sending the match into a fifth set.

It was a hotly-contested final set. Both players traded off wins until it was tied 5-5. While the next game was close, Fonseca managed a win, putting him up 6-5, and in prime position for the upset. While Djokovic desperately tried to tie things up, he lost the final game 7-5, giving Fonseca the win in both the set and the match.

With the win, the 19-year-old Fonseca advanced to the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in his career. It’s the furthest he’s advanced in any of the previous five Grand Slam events in which Fonseca played. He’ll take on the winner of Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul on Sunday.

For Djokovic, it’s the first time since 2009 he’s failed to advance past the third round of the French Open. Since then, he’s been eliminated in the quarterfinals five times, semifinals four times and has four losses in the finals. He’s also won the event three times.

Despite Djokovic’s excellence, the French Open has proven to be his most difficult Grand Slam. His three wins are the lowest among all Grand Slam events, and his 86 percent winning percentage entering Friday was tied for his lowest in all four Grand Slams.

Earlier in his career, winning the French Open proved elusive. After picking up wins in the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open by 2011, it took Djokovic until 2016 to win the French Open and secure his first career Grand Slam. In the four years prior to that win, Djokovic reached the finals three times, losing all three matches before finally breaking through in 2016.

It marks the second major upset at the 2026 French Open on the men’s side. On Thursday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner fell to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in five sets. While Sinner got out to a strong start in that match, a controversial cramping timeout ultimately resulted in his demise. Sinner was able to return to play following that timeout, but wasn’t the same, eventually dropping the final three sets and losing the match.

With Both Sinner and Djokovic out — and Carlos Alcaraz missing the event due to an injury — the men’s bracket appears up for grabs. Sinner entered the event as the No. 1 seed in the men’s bracket. Djokovic was seeded third. Following their losses — and No. 5 seed Ben Shelton’s second-round loss — Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the only top-5 seeds left on the men’s side.

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