Jakub Mensik recovered from a first-set shutout to upset eighth seed Alex de Minaur 0-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on Friday evening at Roland-Garros, advancing to the round of 16 for the first time. The 20-year-old Czech 26th seed had been carried off Court 12 two days earlier following a four-hour-and-41-minute second-round match, yet produced one of the tournament's most striking turnarounds.
How did Mensik turn the match around?
Mensik's tactical shift to aggressive net play transformed the contest after the opening set. The Czech came forward 41 times across the match and converted 33 of those points, an 80 per cent success rate that capitalised on every short ball De Minaur left. Mensik broke serve seven times in 14 chances and won 33 winners to De Minaur's 21, forcing the Australian into longer rallies as the match progressed and disrupting his baseline rhythm.
Why is this comeback historically rare?
Mensik is the first man since Lorenzo Giustino at Roland-Garros 2020 to win a Grand Slam match after losing the opening set 6-0. Giustino's comeback required a fifth-set tiebreak against Corentin Moutet; Mensik's was cleaner, taking three consecutive sets without a tiebreak. The pattern—a complete first set lost, the remainder dominated—has not appeared at a Grand Slam in six years.
What was De Minaur's condition entering the match?
De Minaur, the 27-year-old Australian, had played fewer than two hours of competitive tennis to reach the third round. He defeated Toby Samuel 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round, then received a walkover from Alexander Blockx in the second, arriving fresh and mobile. That advantage evaporated as Mensik's movement and confidence returned over the opening 27 minutes and beyond.
Mensik will face his next opponent in the round of 16 on the Roland-Garros schedule.
Sources
- Tennis Majors: Mensik recovers from a first-set bagel to upset De Minaur and reach the Roland-Garros round of 16. Tennis Majors, 2026-05-29.
Reported from public sources.