Alexander Zverev defeats Jesper de Jong to reach 2026 Roland Garros Quarterfinals

The second-seeded German overcame a slow start to defeat the Dutch qualifier 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1, securing his eighth career appearance in the French Open quarterfinals.

Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

The men's singles draw at the 2026 French Open is narrowing down to an explosive collision between seasoned experience and soaring youth. Second seed Alexander Zverev secured his place in the quarterfinals on the Parisian clay after defeating Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-1. The victory propels the German international into the final eight at Roland Garros for the eighth time in his career.

The match at the historic clay venue tested Zverev’s composure early on, as early unforced errors caused him to drop his opening service game. De Jong, riding the momentum of his successful qualifying campaign, looked to exploit the early break by sustaining physical baseline rallies. However, the World No. 2 quickly responded, breaking back in the fifth game to level the opening set before dominating the subsequent tiebreak 7-3 with authoritative groundstrokes.

In the second set, the physical toll of De Jong's previous matches began to show against Zverev's relentless first serves. While the qualifier fought bravely to hold his service games, Zverev delivered the definitive breakthrough in the tenth game, breaking De Jong to take the set 6-4. The third frame proved to be an absolute clinical display by the Hamburg native, who raised his baseline intensity and swept through the set 6-1, wrapping up the contest in 2 hours and 16 minutes.

With the early exits of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and defending champion Novak Djokovic, alongside Carlos Alcaraz's absence due to injury, Zverev stands as the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament. However, his path to the Coupe des Mousquetaires runs directly through Spain’s newest tennis prodigy: 19-year-old Rafael Jodar. The teenager mounted an astonishing comeback from two sets down to defeat veteran countryman Pablo Carreño (4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2) to earn his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance, backed by a tour-leading 19-3 record on clay this season.