Alexander Zverev stayed on track for a possible fourth Grand Slam final as the highest seed remaining in the men’s draw at the French Open moved efficiently into the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The German who has finished runner-up at the Australian and US Open plus Roland Garros, defeated qualifying lucky loser Jesper de Jong 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-1.

With this week’s second-round losses by world No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic, Zverev could have one of his best chances at lifting a major trophy.

The 29-year-old reached  his eighth Roland Garros quarter-final as he beat his Dutch opponent on de Jong’s 26th birthday.

He needed a tiebreak to secure the opening set but picked up momentum before crushing it in the third set to get off court in a relatively quick two and a quarter hours.

“I had some early difficulties but he started well,” the winner said. “But once I found my rhythm I felt comfortable on the court. 

“That is important for my game. It’s (his game) is there, I just have to show it on the match court.”

With the recent 10-day heatwave now gone, temperatures dropped into the mid-20s Celsius, which should make for more comfortable conditions.

But Zverev is not so sure: “To be honest, I like the heat, I prefer it. My ball flies a lot faster through the air and opponents struggle a bit more.

“I also spend a lot of time in Florida so I’m used to the heat. But we have to make the best of it, things can change within one day.”

Zverev will bid for the semi-finals in a matchup against Rafael Jodar, the prodigy who won an all-Spanish fourth-rounder 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 over Pablo Carreno Busta.

The fightback took nearly three and three-quarter hours and put the 19-year-old into his first last-eight spot in only his second Grand Slam appearance.

He has reached the last eight here for a sixth straight year.

Jodar, ranked No. 707 a year ago, is the fifth man this century to reach the quarters in his main draw debut at the event.

The youngster made a 4-1 start in the opening set but soon found himself in a five-set dogfight against a 34-year-old dealing with a shoulder injury.

The winner of a clay title in March has now taken victory in 19 of his last 22 matches.

“He’s young and incredibly talented,” Zverev said of his next opponent. “He came onto the clay scene in two months.

“He will be a difficult challenge but I’ll be ready for it.”

Main photo:- Favourite Alexander Zverev wins third round match – by ATPTour.com

Novak Djokovic refused to sink to self-pity after taking only his third loss in a five-set match at the French Open on Friday.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion lost 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7–5 to rising Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in an epic third-round contest at Roland Garros.

While his dream of breaking a record with an unprecedented 25 titles at the majors lies in tatters, the field at the clay-court major remains wide open, with Jannik Sinner out and Carlos Alcaraz missing through injury.

The 39-year-old Serb with three Paris trophies, was tested to the limit by his teenaged opponent.”A couple times where I felt like I was barely standing on my legs towards the end of the match,” he confessed.

“Looking at the crowd and seeing them lift my spirits and support me was
something really magical, honestly.

“So when I take out all the disappointment and negative thoughts about the match, you know, there’s a lot to be proud about, what I’ve been through, what I experienced,.

“I’m very grateful for this kind of experience.”

Though he came to Paris with only one Rome match in hand, Djokovic said he made up for his lack of court time.

“The amount of hours I’ve played in three matches here felt like I played every tournament in the last three months, to be honest. 

“I think I was playing good tennis, really good level. Considering I was injured for three months and trying to come back and then  going pretty much straight into Grand Slam on this surface that is very demanding and, for me, takes more time to get used to, to find my groove. 

“Taking everything in consideration and all the circumstances, I think the level was really good. 

“I was happy with my level. Of course, right now being disappointed right off the court, losing, being close to win it. That’s all I can say.”

Joao Fonseca signalled a likely changing of the tennis guard in the strongest possible fashion as he delivered three straight aces to wrap up a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 defeat of Novak Djokovic on Friday at the French Open.

The 19-year-old Brazilian fought from two sets to love down for the second time this week in Paris to blow the draw wide open after a battle lasting for just under five hours.

Djokovic lost from two sets to love up for only the second time in his career; Juergen Melzer in 2010 performed the same miracle comeback against the 39-year-old Serb.

The record 24-time Grand Slam singles champion had won 11 of his previous 14 five-set matches at Roland Garros.

Fonseca saved a break point as he served in the fifth set for the biggest victory of his career. He fired more than 40 forehand winners in his upset.

The winner could barely take it all in.

“I didn’t believe I could win it, I just played and enjoyed being on the court. What a pleasure it was playing this idol.

“It was my first time stepping on court with him, I was just taking it all in.

“I’m just very happy.”

Djokovic looked like cruising as he won the opening pair of sets before the afternoon heat and pace of play from the youngster began to take a toll.

Fonseca slowly worked his way back into the contest with his Brazilian fans doing their best to cheer their latest tennis hero.

“I was not thinking about strategy, I was just trying to hit the ball as hard as i could,” the winner said. “Djokovic doesn’t miss, we all think he’s still in his 20s.

“I’d say at the end he was more fit than me, it’s crazy.”

Fonseca said that as afternoon heat dissipated, his shotmaking power increased.

“As it started getting darker I felt I could produce more power for sure. At the heart I was struggling with the heat.

“I was not feeling very good at the start, but then I felt better.”

He added: “I never believed that I could do three straight aces, never done that before. I never thought I could finish like that.

 Andrey Rublev backed up his Paris fourth-round showing from a year ago with a 7-5, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) defeat of Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

The 11th seed with a best here of the quarter-finals, defeated Nunes for the fifth time without a loss. 

“I was able to win in straight sets, and in some crucial moments when he had

opportunity to lead, I was able to stay there,” the winner said

“I was able to recover and to play well or serve well or hit a good winner. I was always able to come back.

Rublev is still working to break past the quarter-final barrier, where he has stalled 10 times at the majors.

Spain’s Rafael Jodar needed four and a quarter hours to get past Alex Michelsen, – both wearing the exact same kit down to caps and socks – 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The 29th-ranked Jodar, 19, playing in his second career major, won his 18th match of the season against three losses as he reached the fourth round for the first time.