beaten

Fery may not be well-known outside of British tennis circles but sport is a huge part of his family life – his mother, Olivia, was a professional player, while father Loic owns Ligue 1 football club Lorient.

As a teenager, Fery opted to go on a scholarship to Stanford University in California and also played collegiate tennis.

He lost just two games in his opening-round win over compatriot Toby Samuel at Queen’s, before recording what he described as the “best result” of his career against veteran Frenchman Mannarino.

He and Cerundolo both made nervous starts, with numerous break point opportunities, but Fery broke to serve for the set at 5-4.

However, Cerundolo won the next three games and dominated the tie-break, with the only point Fery won in it coming from a double fault from his opponent.

Cerundolo broke to start the second set but took a painful hit at the net when Fery accidentally sent a volley straight into his throat.

The Argentine fell to the floor, with Fery hopping over the net to check on him – and the pair shared a wry smile as on the next point, Cerundolo came close to hitting Fery with a passing winner.

But from that moment on, Cerundolo’s serve disappeared, and Fery restored parity before breaking to serve for the set.

A lovely serve and volley from Fery to force the deciding set established the tone, and a horrible double fault from Cerundolo handed the Briton the early initiative.

Cerundolo’s experience showed, though, as he put enough pressure on his opponents’ forehand to first break back and then secure victory on Fery’s serve.

Novak Djokovic’s wait for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title goes on after teenage star Joao Fonseca produced a stunning fightback to win a five-set epic in the French Open third round.

The Serb was the only player left in the draw who had won a major title and was arguably the favourite to go all the way after world number one Jannik Sinner lost on Thursday.

But after winning the first two sets, Djokovic was gradually overpowered by 19-year-old Fonseca, who hit back to force a decider.

In front of a raucous crowd, Fonseca battled back from 3-1 down in the fifth set to win 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-5 7-5 after a gruelling four hours and 53 minutes.

Fonseca is the first teenager to beat the Serb at a major – a testament to the coolness he showed under pressure against one of the game’s all-time greats.

It is only the third time in 22 appearances that Djokovic has failed to reach the second week at Roland Garros.

With Sinner out and Carlos Alcaraz skipping the clay-court major with injury, Djokovic will be left wondering if his best opportunity of winning that elusive 25th Grand Slam has been wrenched from his grasp.

Fonseca, who will face either two-time finalist Casper Ruud or American 24th seed Tommy Paul in round four, is joined in the second week by fellow 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, who has emerged as a genuine title contender after winning 18 of his 21 clay-court matches in 2026.