Jack Draper added another milestone to his fast-rising career on Saturday, sweeping Brazilian teenager João Fonseca 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to book a first-ever place in the fourth round of Roland-Garros. The 22-year-old Briton, seeded No 5 after cracking the world top-10 this spring, needed just one hour 49 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to keep alive hopes of a breakthrough Grand Slam run on his least-familiar surface.
Fonseca, 18, arrived with a booming forehand and a buzz that followed him from last year’s US Open juniors title, but Draper never let the underdog settle. The left-hander struck 33 winners to 18 and dropped only nine points behind his first serve, breaking twice in each set and saving the lone break point he faced.
“Clay’s been a learning curve, but I’m starting to feel I can dictate on it,” Draper told on-court interviewer Fabrice Santoro. “I stayed aggressive, used the heavy topspin wide on the ad side, and tried to take the ball early when I could.”
A season gathering pace
Saturday’s win pushes Draper’s 2025 record to 26‑6, including an ATP 500 title in Barcelona that signalled his clay-court coming-of-age. He is now the first British man since Andy Murray in 2017 to reach week two in Paris, joining compatriot Cameron Norrie, who advanced earlier in the day.
Next test: Bublik’s box of tricks
In Monday’s last‑16, Draper will meet Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, the 20th seed whose mix of monster serves and underarm trickery has already dispatched two seeds this fortnight. The pair have never met on tour. Victory would hand Draper his third major quarter-final—and, given the early exits of Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, a plausible route to a maiden Slam final.
British tennis on a roll
Draper’s surge caps a banner week for Britain: Norrie’s straight‑sets win over Jacob Fearnley set up a clash with Novak Djokovic, while teenage wildcard Hannah Klugman stunned No 11 seed Jelena Ostapenko to reach the women’s fourth round on Friday. “We feed off each other,” Draper said of the British contingent. “Seeing Cam, Hannah, everyone winning—it raises the energy in the locker room.”
The bigger picture
With Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the opposite half, Draper’s path will only stiffen, but his power-baseline game and improved endurance have turned heads. Eurosport analyst Mats Wilander called him “the most dangerous floater left in the draw,” while 14-time champion Rafa Nadal, watching from home after hip surgery, posted a congratulatory emoji-laden tweet.
For now, Draper will recover, study Bublik’s highlight reel and remind himself that top-seed status brings no guarantees on red clay. But after Saturday’s clinical display, Paris is beginning to believe that Britain may yet celebrate a new left-handed champion in the coming week.