Jesper de Jong knocked out Karen Khachanov in five sets and extended the run of surprises at Roland-Garros
Jesper de Jong reached the round of 16 at Roland-Garros 2026 after defeating the 13th seed Karen Khachanov in the third round of the men's singles by a score of 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-2. The match was played in Paris on May 29, 2026, and the Dutch tennis player reached victory after five sets and another long test on the Paris clay. According to the tournament draw and results data followed by the official Roland-Garros and the ATP Tour, this was a third-round match, that is, the stage of the best 32 in the men's singles. De Jong thereby achieved one of the biggest victories of his career, because he eliminated a player who arrived in Paris as a seed and as a tennis player with long experience in the final stages of major tournaments. The outcome additionally confirms that the men's draw of this year's Roland-Garros is more open than expected before the start of the second week of the tournament.
De Jong entered the duel without the status of favorite, but throughout almost the entire encounter he showed that he could withstand the rhythm of rallies and the pressure of important points. Khachanov twice managed to respond and return to the match, but he did not manage to permanently reverse the direction of the duel. After losing the fourth set in a tie-break, De Jong remained calmer in the deciding section, raised his aggression again and closed out the match by a score of 6-2. Such a development is especially important because the Russian tennis player had reached deep into the tournament at Roland-Garros several times in previous years, while De Jong was still seeking a breakthrough on the biggest stage before this edition. According to reports by international media from the tournament, Khachanov's exit fitted into a broader series of results that had already changed the shape of the men's part of the draw.
From the opening breakthrough to the decisive fifth set
The first set showed how uncertain the match would be. In the final phase of the set, De Jong found a way to pressure Khachanov's serve and take the key points for 7-5, giving him an initial advantage that is often psychologically important in best-of-five matches. Khachanov reacted in a similar way in the second set, patiently waited for his opportunity and levelled the overall score at 7-5. Thus, after only two sets, the encounter had already taken the form of a long tactical contest in which neither player could count on easy games. De Jong, however, played the most convincing section of the match up to that point in the third set and with 6-2 took control again. Such a result suggested that the Dutch tennis player had enough physical freshness and mental stability to deal with a player accustomed to the Grand Slam rhythm.
The fourth set reopened space for uncertainty. Khachanov, who during his career had built a reputation as a player capable of staying in long matches, forced a tie-break and was more convincing there with 7-2. According to the available scoring sequence, after losing the tie-break De Jong could have entered the deciding set under considerably greater pressure, because he had missed the chance to close the match in four sets. Instead of falling away, in the fifth set he again imposed the rhythm that suited him, and Khachanov no longer found an answer to his stability from the baseline. The final 6-2 in the fifth set shows that De Jong had more energy at the key moment, but also a clearer game plan. A victory in five sets is therefore not only a surprise because of the opponent's status, but also confirmation that the Dutch tennis player endured the most demanding possible scenario.
De Jong's path: from lucky loser to the round of 16
This victory gains particular weight from the fact that De Jong entered the main tournament as a lucky loser, according to reports from specialized tennis portals and media following Roland-Garros. In qualifying, he did not earn direct entry into the draw, but after subsequent changes he received a place in the main tournament. Such a path is often unpredictable, because at one moment a player thinks that his appearance is over, and then he must quickly switch to the highest level of competition. De Jong used that opportunity in Paris in the best possible way. First, in the first round he defeated Stan Wawrinka, a former Roland-Garros champion, in a match that had a strong emotional context because of Wawrinka's farewell to the Paris tournament. Then in the second round he defeated Federico Cinà, and with the victory against Khachanov he reached his first placement in the round of 16 of a Grand Slam tournament.
According to reports from the first round, the encounter with Wawrinka was much more than an ordinary victory over a famous name. The Swiss tennis player, the 2015 Roland-Garros champion, received farewell attention from the crowd and the tournament in Paris, and after the match De Jong spoke with respect about his opponent's career. That created circumstances in which the Dutch tennis player had to maintain concentration amid an atmosphere that was naturally directed toward Wawrinka. In the second round against Cinà, he had a different task, because he had to confirm that the first victory was not an isolated moment. The third round against Khachanov brought the toughest sporting test in the series, since on the other side of the net stood a seed and a player with much greater experience on big stages. By passing through all three obstacles, De Jong turned the status of lucky loser into one of the stories of the tournament.
Khachanov went out despite experience and seeded status
Karen Khachanov arrived at Roland-Garros as the 13th seed, which means that according to ranking and draw projection he was supposed to be among the players with realistic prospects of reaching the second week of the tournament. According to the ATP Tour profile and official tournament data, Khachanov is a long-standing member of the top of men's tennis and a player who had already been in the late stages of Grand Slam competitions. In his career he played the semifinals of the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open, and at Roland-Garros he had previously reached the quarterfinals. Precisely because of that experience, his defeat in the third round carries additional weight. This is not a player who encountered the pressure of a major tournament or the conditions on Paris clay for the first time. Still, De Jong managed to use changes of rhythm, long rallies and moments in which Khachanov failed to connect pressure through several games in a row.
Khachanov showed his characteristic ability to come back during the match. He won the second set after losing the opening section, and he took the fourth set into a tie-break and was dominant there. But according to the final score, the key problem was continuity. In the third and fifth sets he won two games each, which indicates that De Jong used his service games better in the most important parts of the match and threatened more often on return. Such a drop in the decisive phases is costly at Grand Slam level, especially against an opponent who has little to lose and who had already gained confidence in the first two rounds. Khachanov's defeat was at the same time another blow to the seeds in the men's draw. According to an Associated Press report and tournament coverage, after the defeats of several big names it became clear that Roland-Garros 2026 would have a new Grand Slam champion in the men's singles.
The men's draw increasingly open after a series of surprises
De Jong's victory against Khachanov is not an isolated case in the first week of the tournament. According to reports by international media from Roland-Garros, the men's part of the draw was marked by early defeats of seeds and players with major Grand Slam experience. The Associated Press reported after Novak Đoković's defeat to João Fonseca that the tournament had been left without former Grand Slam title winners in the men's singles, which means that the Paris clay will produce a new major champion. The Guardian, in its coverage of the sixth day of the tournament, also emphasized that a significantly reduced number of the highest-ranked seeds remained in the men's draw, with exits such as those of Khachanov and Alex de Minaur. In such a context, every new result changes the perception of the tournament. Players who were in the background before the start of the competition now receive an opportunity for the biggest results of their careers.
Roland-Garros is traditionally a tournament at which physical endurance and tactical adaptation have exceptional importance. The clay surface rewards patience, defense, point construction and the ability to repeat high intensity for several hours. De Jong's victory in five sets shows precisely that combination of elements. It was not only a short burst of inspiration or one brilliant set, but the ability to re-establish control after lost sections. For a player who entered the tournament as a lucky loser, such a performance also has additional symbolic value. In a draw in which big names have already fallen, his name is now among those who used the open space and changed expectations. Until the end of the tournament, however, he will have to repeat the same level of concentration against new opponents who will now view him differently than at the beginning of the week.
What the victory means for De Jong and the continuation of the tournament
For De Jong, reaching the round of 16 is a result that can significantly change his season. Grand Slam points, public attention and the experience of victory over a seed often have a long-term effect on players trying to stabilize their place in the main draw of the biggest tournaments. According to data from specialized databases and player profiles, De Jong was outside the narrowest circle of seeds on the eve of the tournament and did not belong to the group of tennis players expected to fight for the closing stages. That is precisely why such a result has value that goes beyond one round. In professional tennis, the difference between a player who regularly enters main tournaments and one who must go through qualifying is often small, but victories at a Grand Slam can accelerate that transition. De Jong has already secured one of the most visible weeks of his career in Paris.
From a sporting point of view, his next challenge will be different because he will no longer have the complete role of outsider. After victories over Wawrinka, Cinà and Khachanov, opponents will study his game in more detail, and expectations will rise. That is a usual change for players who suddenly pass through several rounds at a Grand Slam. In the first matches they can profit from the status of a player who is talked about less, but in the second week of the tournament every detail becomes more important. De Jong will have to maintain service stability, physical freshness and the ability not to retreat when an opponent raises his level. The victory against Khachanov showed that he can do that in extremely demanding circumstances. At the same time, five sets on clay leave a mark, so recovery between matches will be just as important as tactical preparation.
Paris context and the significance of the result
Roland-Garros 2026 is being played in Paris from May 18 to June 7, according to the official tournament calendar. The men's singles at this Grand Slam always carries special weight because it requires victories in best-of-five matches on the slowest surface among the four biggest tournaments. For that reason, surprises at Roland-Garros are often not reduced to just one good day, but to a combination of form, physical readiness and psychological endurance. De Jong had to pass through all those levels in the encounter with Khachanov. He won the first set, lost the second, again took the lead in the third, missed closing the match in the fourth and then played his best tennis when the pressure was highest. Such a path to victory makes the result more convincing than the mere label of surprise would suggest.
For Khachanov, the defeat means the end of the tournament before the phase in which the greatest danger is expected from a seed of his profile. For De Jong, however, it is an entry into a new category of visibility. His result confirms how Grand Slam tournaments can open space for players who receive a second chance and quickly enough turn it into a string of victories. According to available information from the tournament, his breakthrough is part of a broader development in which Roland-Garros 2026 increasingly resembles less and less a tournament of predictable order. As the draw continues to empty of established names, the Dutch tennis player's victory over the 13th seed will remain one of the important episodes of the first week. In the round of 16, De Jong will try to extend the run that began as an unexpected entry into the main tournament and turned into one of the stories of the Paris clay.
Sources:
- Roland-Garros – official results, draw and tournament schedule for 2026 used to verify the competition, stage and calendar (link)
- ATP Tour – official Roland-Garros draw and player profiles used to verify tournament context and player data (link)
- Associated Press – report on the development of the men's draw and the fact that Roland-Garros 2026 will have a new men's Grand Slam champion (link)
- The Guardian – live reports from Roland-Garros 2026 used for the context of surprises in the men's draw and De Jong's earlier appearances (link)
- TennisTemple – overview of the Khachanov – De Jong match and De Jong's tournament path as a lucky loser in the main draw (link)