Paris (France) (AFP) - Czech youngster Jakub Mensik produced a brilliant display to upstage Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca and reach the French Open semi-finals on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old Mensik beat Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (⁷⁄₃) in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier to extend his best run at a Grand Slam.

Mensik, the world number 27, will take on second seed and title favourite Alexander Zverev on Friday for a place in the final.

“I’m excited for the challenge,” said Mensik.

He is the youngest Czech men’s semi-finalist at a major and the first from his country to reach the last four since Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon in 2017.

“It was one of my best performances so far,” said Mensik. “I knew it was going to be a tough one. In the end of the match there were some incredible shots.

“The last 20-30 minutes of the matches, it was really just insane the level from both of us.”

It was the youngest Roland Garros men’s quarter-final since a 20-year-old Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in 2006. Djokovic was 19 at the time.

A thrilling third-round win over Djokovic two decades on marked a coming of age for Fonseca, who backed it up with a victory over two-time runner-up Casper Ruud to advance to his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

But Mensik, whose best prior result at the majors was an injury-curtailed run to the last 16 at this year’s Australian Open, showed no fear against Fonseca, the 28th seed.

Mensik pulled out of his scheduled clash with Djokovic in Melbourne with an abdominal injury and then saw his clay-court season disrupted by a toe infection before he came down with a virus.

“Before Roland Garros, I was finally healthy,” he said. “I was well prepared, without any injury, playing pain-free, and as the tournament goes on, I’m playing better and better.”

Mensik secured the opening set against Fonseca with a break in the fifth game, repeating the feat at the same stage of the second before breaking once more to surge into a commanding two-set lead.

The Czech was broken at the outset of the third set but quickly hit back. Fonseca edged ahead to lead 5–3, yet Mensik saved a set point and battled his way back on serve.

Fonseca then produced a remarkable escape, saving six match points to force a tie-break, but Mensik finally subdued his stubborn opponent at the seventh time of asking.