Jakub Mensik announced himself in Paris with a performance that changed his standing among the sport’s rising 20-and-under contingent. The 20-year-old Czech, long discussed as an afterthought alongside peers such as Joao Fonseca, Learner Tien and Martin Landaluce, produced a masterful display to beat Fonseca in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3). The scoreline belies a match rich in brilliant shotmaking and relentless aggression.

Mensik will face Alexander Zverev in Friday’s semifinals in what shapes up as a matchup of two power movers who also move well. John McEnroe gave Mensik a slight edge in one area after watching him chase down Fonseca’s drop shots. “Zverev is awesome moving side to side. But he’s not quite as good moving forward as Mensik,” McEnroe said. “If Mensik plays like that [again] in the semifinals, he’s going to give Zverev a lot of trouble. The way he got up to those drop shops, and so skillful with that feel [when he gets there] … I’ll tell you, he’s gonna be a handful for the next 10 years.”

Fonseca offered a clear-eyed assessment after the loss. “His [Mensik’s] return, both first and second serve, are pretty into the court and he puts a lot of pressure on the opponent,” Fonseca said. “He missed a very small amount [number] of returns and that put me in a tough position. Today was not about me playing bad, It was [all] to his merit … He knows how to play in important moments. He’s not afraid. He has courage.”

Mensik called the match “insane,” and his composure was tested late when he failed to convert six match points before closing out the third-set tiebreak. His game is a collection of outsized weapons: an explosive serve, a rifle two-handed backhand and a heavy smash, but his movement proved decisive on the clay.

Mensik’s recent run follows a breakthrough last April in Miami when he beat Novak Djokovic in the final and rose to No. 24. He began the year with a title in Auckland, then endured an abdominal muscle pull that forced him out of the Australian Open fourth-round meeting with Djokovic. A disrupted clay buildup left him with a 3-3 record entering the clay season and a ranking around the mid-20s, but by Roland Garros he was healthy, seeded and advancing past top opponents including No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur and No. 11 Andrey Rublev on his way to the last four.

Serena Williams has taken the first visible step in her return to competition at the HSBC Championships, appearing on the Queen’s Club practice court ahead of the tournament. Williams accepted a wild card into the doubles draw at Queen’s Club and will partner WTA world No. 9 Victoria Mboko for what will be her first professional match since the 2022 US Open.

The move followed earlier reports that Williams had re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Association’s anti-doping testing pool, a necessary procedural step that included a six-month cooling period. Williams was officially eligible to compete as of February 22, though she had not specified when she planned to resume playing in tour events.

Her hiatus began after a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open, a period during which she said she “evolved” away from the tour. Rumors of a comeback gathered momentum once she returned to testing, and the decision to accept a doubles wild card confirmed that her return would begin at Queen’s Club.

In the weeks before the announcement Williams maintained a high level of on-court preparation, practicing intensely in Florida alongside WTA players such as Alycia Parks. Her appearance on the practice court at the HSBC Championships was her first on-site session ahead of the event and marks the next chapter in a carefully managed re-entry to professional competition.

The doubles entry in London will be Williams’s first pro-level match in nearly four years and will pair her with Mboko, giving fans and observers a first look at how Williams performs in match conditions after an extended absence.

The most talked-about statements at Roland Garros this year arrived before rallies began, as players turned the walk from tunnel to baseline into a deliberate fashion moment. Cameras trained on entrants have made the pre-match entrance one of the tournament’s most visible stages.

Naomi Osaka delivered the tournament’s defining wardrobe story during her run to the fourth round, combining a sequined Nike tennis dress with couture-inspired outer pieces by Swiss designer Kevin Germanier. The creations, built from upcycled Nike garments, included a black beaded jacket, a floor-length skirt and a detachable white tulle train. “If I had to give a short answer, the outfit is a nod to France, to Parisian couture, and sustainability,”

“…The designer that we did end up pairing with just kind of spoke our same language.” Osaka mixed and matched those elements across matches to create a recurring “court-ure” theme.

Novak Djokovic marked his record-tying 22nd Roland Garros appearance with a bespoke Lacoste jacket from creative director Pelagia Kolotouros. The piece, inspired by the colours and textures of the terre-battue, incorporated real clay detailing and featured a prominent wolf graphic across the back, a motif the 24-time Grand Slam champion has long embraced.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka paired a black-and-red Nike dress with prominent accessories from sponsor Material Good, a collection of jewellery that included 23 carats of diamonds and 120 carats of garnets across necklaces and earrings. During Paris’s heat wave cameras captured her pressing a Shark ChillPill personal fan to her face during a changeover.

Coco Gauff followed last year’s leather-jacket moment with two New Balance walk-on looks, each pairing a white bodysuit and mesh-overlay dress in charcoal or pink along with matching headbands and wristbands. Mirra Andreeva and Sorana Cirstea also embraced pink tones. Jannik Sinner appeared in head-to-toe blue from Nike’s 2026 Roland Garros collection with his Gucci x Head bag, while Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini opted for blue shades. Other players displayed brand statements as well, with appearances from Madison Keys, Moise Kouame, Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina, Victoria Mboko, Marta Kostyuk, Joao Fonseca and Iga Swiatek.