Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Roland Garros match.
This third-round matchup at Roland Garros features two of the brightest young talents in men’s tennis — Brazil’s João Fonseca and Great Britain’s Jack Draper. Both are enjoying career-best form on clay, but the more experienced and battle-tested Draper enters as the clear favourite, especially on this surface.
João Fonseca
Ranked No. 65, Fonseca continues to impress with his maturity and fearless shot-making. His stunning upset of Hubert Hurkacz (No. 28) in the first round showcased his big-match potential, but the second-round clash with French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert (No. 147) exposed some nerves and inconsistency. He needed two tie-breaks and committed eight double faults, looking vulnerable under pressure. Fonseca had also arrived in Paris on a three-match losing streak, with straight-set defeats to Tommy Paul (No. 12), Jesper de Jong (No. 88), and Márton Fucsovics (No. 56) — all players ranked higher but far from unbeatable.
Jack Draper
The Brit has a deeper résumé and far more experience on the Grand Slam stage, with 23 main-draw matches under his belt — and only six of those going the distance. His 2025 clay season has been a revelation: 11 wins in 14 matches, including a runner-up finish in Madrid, where he pushed world No. 8 Casper Ruud (5:7, 6:3, 4:6) in a tight three-set final. In Paris, Draper dropped a set to both Mattia Bellucci (No. 68) and Gaël Monfils (No. 42), but recovered well in each, racking up 16 aces across the two matches.
João Fonseca vs Jack Draper Prediction
These two met earlier this year at Indian Wells, where Draper dismantled Fonseca (6:4, 6:0). While that was on hard court, the surface change doesn't tilt the balance enough in Fonseca’s favour, especially given Draper’s superb clay form.
