Fonseca eliminated Prižmić from Roland-Garros after a major comeback and secured a duel with Đoković
João Fonseca advanced to the third round of Roland-Garros 2026 after one of the most impressive comebacks of the men's tournament so far in Paris. The nineteen-year-old Brazilian tennis player, the 28th seed of the tournament, defeated Dino Prižmić in the second round after five sets by a score of 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. The match was played on May 27 at Roland-Garros, and the official tournament website states that it lasted three hours and 30 minutes. After the first two sets, Prižmić was in a very good position to continue his Paris run, but from the middle of the third set Fonseca completely changed the rhythm of the match and took control of the game.
The encounter carried additional weight because the winner knew that Novak Đoković, a three-time Roland-Garros champion and winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, awaited him in the third round. The ATP reported that Đoković beat Frenchman Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(9), 6-3 on the same day, thereby confirming his duel with Fonseca in the third round. For the young Brazilian, this is a continuation of a very visible rise on the biggest stages, while for Prižmić the defeat is painful primarily because he played the first two sets with exceptional maturity, aggression and tactical clarity. Still, the Croatian tennis player's Paris appearance remains an important step in his senior career because in the first round he achieved his first victory in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.
Prižmić opened the match decisively and kept Fonseca under pressure
In the opening sets, Prižmić showed why, ahead of the duel, he was being spoken of as one of the most interesting young players on clay. According to the report on the official Roland-Garros website, the Croatian tennis player responded better in baseline exchanges in the first two sets and created more pressure on serve than Fonseca. He won the first set 6-3 and the second 6-4, which meant that after approximately 80 minutes of play he was only one set away from reaching the third round. In that part of the encounter, Fonseca was unable to impose his rhythm, while Prižmić used the depth of his shots and stability in longer points to keep the Brazilian outside his comfort zone.
Such a development of the match was not a surprise if one takes into account the form in which Prižmić arrived in Paris. The official tournament website recalled that the 20-year-old Croatian tennis player had achieved several significant victories on clay in recent months, including a triumph against Ben Shelton in Madrid and a victory against Đoković in Rome. The ATP also states in Prižmić's biography that in 2023 he won the junior Roland-Garros, becoming the first Croatian winner of the junior singles tournament in Paris since Marin Čilić in 2005. That junior title is not a guarantee of senior stability, but it shows that Prižmić moves and competes on the Paris clay in an environment that is not unfamiliar to him.
In the first round of this year's Roland-Garros, Prižmić, according to a Hina report carried by Glas Slavonije, defeated American qualifier Michael Zheng 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in one hour and 45 minutes. That brought him his first victory at Grand Slam tournaments in senior competition, after earlier appearances in the main draws of the Australian Open and the US Open. In the duel against Fonseca, that momentum was visible from the beginning. Prižmić did not play like a tennis player protecting a lead, but like a player actively seeking a path toward finishing points, especially when he managed to open the court with stronger shots from the baseline exchange.
The third set changed the course of the match
The comeback began in the third set, when Fonseca finally found a way to disrupt Prižmić's balance. The official Roland-Garros report states that the key moment came in the fourth game of the third set, when the Brazilian reached his first break of the match. After that he managed to confirm the advantage, although it was not a simple game, and that very part of the match changed the atmosphere on the court. Fonseca began moving closer to the baseline, attacking second serves more aggressively and taking the initiative earlier in rallies.
Fonseca himself said after the match, according to the official Roland-Garros website, that he had to change the way he played, especially on the return of the second serve, in order to create greater pressure. In the first two sets he tried to be more stable, but such an approach was not enough against Prižmić, who, in his words, was playing very well and outplaying him in those moments. The change was not only technical but also mental: after winning the third set, Fonseca increasingly began hitting shots that in the first half of the match had finished short or outside the ideal angle. Prižmić, on the other hand, found it increasingly difficult to find solutions that would restore the control he had at the start of the encounter.
The third set ended 6-3 for Fonseca and opened a completely new chapter of the match. Although Prižmić still had very high first-serve percentages in the statistical segments of that set, the official report states that Fonseca won the set after 51 minutes of play, thereby sowing the first serious doubt in what had until then been the Croatian tennis player's stable game. In best-of-five-set tennis, such moments often change not only the score but also the space for decisions. The player leading 2-0 in sets suddenly has to prevent the opponent's return, while the player coming back gains additional energy because every set won confirms that the match can still be turned around.
Fonseca took complete control in the fourth and fifth sets
After reducing the deficit, Fonseca played much more freely in the fourth set. He won the set 6-1, then continued in the same rhythm in the fifth set and closed the match with 6-2. The official Roland-Garros website states that the Brazilian tennis player won 73 percent and 81 percent of points respectively after landing his first serve in the final two sets, while Prižmić's percentages in the same period fell to 55 percent and 38 percent. Such a difference clearly shows why the final stage of the match turned into a one-way race: Fonseca held his service games with increasing certainty, and on return he increasingly opened points in which he could attack immediately.
Prižmić's decline in the closing stages should not be viewed solely as a physical or tactical collapse. This was a match in which the opponent found a higher level of play at the right moment, and such comebacks often happen precisely in matches involving young players who are still building experience in long Grand Slam duels. In the final sets, Fonseca read the directions of play better, took the ball earlier and increasingly forced Prižmić into defensive shots from which it was difficult to regain balance. The Croatian tennis player was no longer able to maintain the same depth of shots as in the first two sets, and every shorter reply gave the Brazilian an opportunity to finish the point.
The final break, according to the tournament report, came without Fonseca needing to serve for the match. The Brazilian won the last game on return, and the official Roland-Garros website described the final forehand as a shot that symbolically confirmed the comeback. That ended their first official head-to-head meeting, and the tournament report called it a preview of a possible future rivalry. Both players belong to a generation that is only entering the most important phases of professional tennis, but already competes without obvious fear of bigger names and large stadiums.
The Brazilian became part of a rare group of teenagers in Paris
Fonseca's comeback also has broader statistical significance. The official Roland-Garros website highlighted that the Brazilian became only the third teenager in this century to win a main-draw match at the Paris Grand Slam tournament after trailing 0-2 in sets. Before him, Roger Federer did so in 2001 and Thanasi Kokkinakis in 2015. Such a fact does not mean that careers will automatically develop along the same path, but it illustrates well how demanding it is to turn around a match on clay after losing the first two sets. At Roland-Garros, comebacks are built slowly, through physically exhausting exchanges, tactical changes and the ability to maintain concentration even when the result seems almost decided.
For Fonseca, this result is a continuation of his strong connection with the Paris tournament. The official Roland-Garros website recalled that in 2025, on his main-draw debut, he defeated Hubert Hurkacz, then the 30th seed, and this season in the first round he overcame French qualifier Luka Pavlović 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2. The ATP stated in its report on that match that Fonseca admitted to nerves in Paris, but also showed the ability to keep them under control. Against Prižmić, that test was even more demanding because it was not about initial nerves but about a deep scoreboard deficit against an opponent who had looked convincing in the first two sets.
After the victory, the Brazilian also spoke about the next challenge. According to the official Roland-Garros website, Fonseca said that he would enjoy every moment of playing against an idol and a player he called one of the greatest in the history of the sport. Such statements are expected ahead of a duel with Đoković, but they also reveal the psychological framework in which the young player enters the third round. Instead of viewing the encounter only through pressure, Fonseca sees it as an opportunity to test his own level against one of the most successful tennis players of all time.
Prižmić's tournament ends in defeat, but also with confirmation of progress
Although elimination after leading by two sets is difficult for any player, Prižmić does not leave Paris without positive indicators. In the first round he achieved his first senior Grand Slam victory, and against a seeded player he was the better player on the court for two sets. The ATP states in his biography that he made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the Australian Open 2024 precisely against Đoković, in a match that attracted a great deal of attention at the time because of Prižmić's fighting spirit and maturity. After that, his senior career went through expected fluctuations, but his results on clay in 2026 show that he is again approaching a level at which he can regularly challenge higher-ranked opponents.
It is especially important that Prižmić's performance in Paris was not an isolated good week. According to the official Roland-Garros website, before the tournament he already had valuable victories against players from the very top, including Shelton and Đoković. Such results change the perception of a young player in the locker room because opponents no longer see only his potential but also concrete victories. Against Fonseca, he showed that he can impose his game against one of the most prominent young tennis players on the ATP Tour, but the final stage of the match also showed areas he will have to develop further: maintaining intensity, reacting to a change in the opponent's tactics and serving stability when the match begins to break open.
For the Croatian tennis player, the clay season nevertheless remains a significant foundation. The junior title in Paris from 2023 is often mentioned as part of his tennis identity, but senior tennis demands a different kind of continuity. Prižmić had a clear opportunity for the third round in the match against Fonseca, but experience from such defeats often becomes an important part of development. If he manages to maintain the level from the first two sets and extend it across an entire match, his results at Grand Slam tournaments could soon become more stable.
The third round brings a major test against Đoković
Fonseca's next opponent will be Novak Đoković, and that duel already has a strong narrative framework. Đoković is one of the most successful players of the modern era in Paris, while Fonseca represents a new generation that is entering the later stages of major tournaments ever more openly. In its report on the second-round results, the ATP emphasized that Đoković's passage past Royer set up an attractive clash with the Brazilian. The Guardian, reporting on the demanding conditions at the tournament, also stated that after his victory over Royer, Đoković was due to play precisely against Fonseca, who eliminated Prižmić with a comeback.
The context of the tournament has additionally been marked by warm and demanding conditions in Paris. The Guardian reported that some players complained about heat above 32 degrees Celsius, with Jakub Menšik having serious problems with cramps after a marathon victory against Mariano Navone. The same source states that Đoković suggested considering later time slots on days with extreme heat. Although the match between Fonseca and Prižmić was not primarily marked by health problems, the physical demands of the Paris clay and the weather conditions make every five-set encounter even harder, especially for players who have to recover quickly in the following days.
For Fonseca, the duel with Đoković will be more than a reward for a major comeback. It will be a test of maturity, tactical discipline and the ability to sustain aggressive play against a player who for decades has punished even the smallest drops in concentration. For Prižmić, the defeat remains a missed opportunity, but also proof that he belongs at a level where he can play against seeded players and create an advantage on the Grand Slam stage. Roland-Garros thus received, in the second round, a match that will be remembered for its comeback, but also for confirming that the new generation on clay is already producing encounters of high quality and strong competitive intensity.
Sources:
- Roland-Garros – official report on the Fonseca - Prižmić match in the second round of Roland-Garros 2026. (link)
- ATP Tour – Roland-Garros 2026 results and context of Đoković and Fonseca reaching the third round (link)
- ATP Tour – official biography of Dino Prižmić and information on the junior title at Roland-Garros and Grand Slam appearances (link)
- ATP Tour – report on Fonseca's victory against Luka Pavlović in the first round of Roland-Garros 2026. (link)
- Hina / Glas Slavonije – report on Prižmić's victory against Michael Zheng in the first round of Roland-Garros 2026. (link)
- The Guardian – report on conditions at Roland-Garros 2026 and the context of Đoković's next match with Fonseca (link)