“Just really insane”: Mensik and Fonseca were as shocked as you were by their level of play
Jakub Mensik reached his first Grand Slam semi-final with a performance he called “insane,” a level confirmed by his opponent João Fonseca. Mensik’s composure and ability to elevate his game, especially after a challenging clay season, highlight a significant shift in his self-belief.
Jakub Mensik, Roland-Garros 2026 | © PsNewz
Jakub Mensik could barely take in the level he produced to reach a first Grand Slam semi-final, Tuesday night, describing the closing stretch against João Fonseca as among the finest tennis he has ever played.
“I’m super happy with the performance overall,” the Czech said, singling out the final stages: “The last 20 or 30 minutes of the match, it was just really insane — the level.” Asked in the Czech room whether it was his most complete display of the fortnight, he agreed at once.
Mensik: “Just in the zone”
What pleased him most was the composure under it w holding his nerve after six match points slipped away. “I stayed mentally focused and calm, and managed to level up my game in the tiebreak,” he said, putting it down to a near-trance: “I was just in the zone… I couldn’t hear anything.”
The endorsement that mattered came from across the net. “The level of the game was pretty impressive”, the. Brazilian highloghted. Fonseca, who beat Djokovic and Ruud earlier in the fortnight, called the standard “really high” and credited Mensik’s serve and nerve. He’s not afraid.” He described being smothered by Mensik’s game: “He was suffocating. He likes to go for it.”
Fonseca added details: “His serve is amazing. The way he deals with the important points is also really impressive. He controlled most of the match, serving pretty well and doing the [damage] with the return as well. His returns on both first and second serve are pretty into the court, and he puts a lot of pressure on the opponent. Today he missed a very small amount of returns, and that put me in a tough position. That was his merit.”
The chance this doesn’t end at just the semi-final is a big one
The numbers underline how high the level ran. Tennis Insights rated Mensik’s performance at 8.4 – rising to 9.27 across the closing two games – against 7.86 for Fonseca, a tier that stands comparison with the marquee matches of the fortnight: Djokovic was rated 8.06 in the third round against Fonseca, Sinner 8.97 in the first.
Mensik’s edge was built on serve and precision, scoring 8.8 for serve and 8.1 for the return in terme of shot quality, winning 83% of points behind his first serve and posting a serve-effectiveness mark of 84.6 – which means that he was scoring the point with an ace or an unreturned serve or was in attacking position at the first shot.
What the data say
The stats also show that Mensik was ruthless when he came forward, going to the net 39 times and winning 81% of those points. The rally data tells the same story of control: in attacking positions 33% of the time, Mensik converted at 69% and registered a 36% “steal” score, against 64-31 in the comparison with Fonseca.
The self-belief is starting to outrun caution. With the elite all assembled in the last four, Mensik told Czech reporters the field had flattened – “anyone can beat anyone” – and, declining the favourite’s tag, said “the chance this doesn’t end at just the semi-final is a big one.” Not dreaming big after such a match would be almost criminal.
