PARIS — Zachary Svajda defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 in the third round of the 2026 French Open to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. The match was one of eight men's singles third-round contests at the tournament to go the full five sets, setting a record for the Open era.

Svajda dedicated the victory to his late father, Tom Svajda, on what would have been his 61st birthday. Tom Svajda, a tennis coach in San Diego who also coached his son, was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and died in October of that year.

"It's like I'm dreaming right now. It's crazy," Svajda said after the match. "Today was so special because it's my dad's birthday. I was thinking of that. I was nervous. I know he's proud of me, and I wanted to perform well and win."

The 23-year-old American overcame leg cramps during the third and fourth sets as temperatures in Paris exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit. He rebounded in the deciding set to secure the win, collapsing to the court in emotion afterward.

Svajda, ranked world number 85, had never played on red clay until he was 21 and estimated he had competed in only 10 to 15 matches on the surface before this tournament. He had won just one ATP Tour-level match on clay in 2026 prior to the French Open. His previous best Grand Slam result was reaching the second round of the 2021 US Open.

Earlier in the tournament, Svajda defeated Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton in four sets each to set up the match against Cerundolo. His victory propelled him to a new career-high live ATP ranking of 59th. He will next face 10th seed Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round.