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Jakub Mensik sealed his first-ever major semifinal spot, beating teen sensation Joao Fonseca in the quarterfinal of the French Open on Tuesday night.
The 20-year-old Mensik overcame 19-year-old Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3). The clash between two of tennis's most exciting young talents saw Mensik absorbing and giving back to Fonseca's firepower, and he became the first man born after 2004 or later to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in a match that lasted two hours and 33 minutes. Both stars were competing in their first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinals, and it was Mensik who rose to the occasion, becoming the youngest Czech player to reach the semifinal of a Grand Slam. "We started a little bit nervous, then at the end of the match, there were some incredible shots," Mensik said in his on-court interview as per ATP's official website. "I am super happy that I came back. In the third set, I was a couple of breaks down, so I am happy I managed to stay focused and keep fighting until the end," he added. After winning the youngest French Open quarterfinal since 20-year-old Rafael Nadal defeated 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in 2006, Mensik's semifinal challenge will be the second seed and 2024 French Open finalist Alexander Zverev. On the other hand, Zverev outclassed another rising young talent, beating Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday. Zverev, who had dropped just one set in his five matches, rallied from being 2-5 down in the opening set and was largely dominant in a two-hour, 17-minute clash. "It was difficult," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "He had perfect rhythm in the first set and I did not. My balls were very short, and I was very defensive. The conditions [under the roof] were completely different. The string tension was different, the way the ball reacted off the ground was different. The ball was not bouncing as high, so heavy topspin was not really beneficial, and I had to flatten my shots out a little bit more." "He was playing amazing and outplayed me in the beginning of the first set, but I managed to come back, and he played a little bit of a nervous game when he served for it. Then I took my chances well, and after that it was a good match for me," he signed off. (ANI)
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