Alexander Zverev made Jesper de Jong's 26th birthday a nightmare. The Dutch player could have been looking to make the quarterfinals at a major for the first time. The issue was partly that the German was trying to win a Grand Slam title for the first time.
Zverev is arguably the best men's player ever to not have won a major. At times, he has melted down late in tournaments, not being aggressive enough and trying not to lose matches instead of trying to win them.
But in the 2026 French Open, Zverev now has his best chance at a trophy. Carlos Alcaraz missed the event with a wrist injury. Jannik Sinner stunningly lost in the second round. Novak Djokovic didn't make it much further. Roland Garros is Zverev's to win.
Alexander Zverev defeats Jesper de Jong at the 2026 French Open
De Jong was a lucky loser to even be in the tournament, and while he moved around the court well and could hit with some power, he was fairly defenseless against the German after the first set. De Jong even created a surprising start by getting a break off Zverev and jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The German would get the break back, and the first set finished in a tie-break.
Once there, de Jong also jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a minibreak before Zverev would reel off seven straight points. It was an indication of how the match would go overall. De Jong would battle, but he was playing a far greater player.
Zverev took the second set 6-4, and no drama would exist in the third set with Alexander Zverev doing everything better than Jesper de Jong. The Dutch player was lucky to win a game, and did just one, dropping the set 1-6.
Next for Zverev is a much tougher challenge. In the quarterfinals, he will take on 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, a player just beginning to find himself on the ATP tour but with the game to win the French Open. Should Zverev win that match, he could next play Casper Ruud in the semifinals. That might be the biggest hurdle the German has to winning his first major title.
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