French Open 2025: World No. 85 Svajda stuns Cerundolo in five sets, faces Cobolli next
Synopsis
Ranked No. 85 and making his Roland Garros main-draw debut, Zachary Svajda outlasted 25th seed Cerundolo in five sets — pointing to the sky in tribute to his late father after the win. He has already jumped to No. 59 in live rankings and now faces 10th seed Cobolli, with a first Grand Slam quarter-final within reach.
Key Takeaways
Zachary Svajda (World No.
85) defeated Francisco Cerundolo (25th seed) 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 on 30 May 2025 at Roland Garros.
Svajda reaches the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time on his Roland Garros main-draw debut.
The match lasted 3 hours and 3 minutes ; Svajda saved a break point while serving for the match before converting his third match point.
Svajda has climbed 26 spots to No.
59 in ATP Live Rankings, guaranteeing a new career high.
Flavio Cobolli (10th seed) beat Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 , converting 7 of 13 break points , to set up the fourth-round clash.
Cobolli is the fourth-highest-ranked player left in the draw, behind Zverev, Auger-Aliassime, and Rublev.
Zachary Svajda, ranked No. 85 in the ATP Rankings, delivered one of the standout upsets of the 2025 French Open on Saturday, 30 May, defeating 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo in a pulsating five-set thriller to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. The American prevailed 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 on Court 14 at Stade Roland Garros, Paris, in a match lasting three hours and three minutes.
An Emotional Victory
The 23-year-old Svajda, competing in his main-draw debut at Roland Garros, pointed to the sky after sealing the win — a gesture widely understood as a tribute to his father, Tom Svajda, who passed away last October following a battle with cancer. The moment underscored the personal weight behind what was already a remarkable professional milestone.
Svajda raced to a two-set lead before Cerundolo, the World No. 26 from Argentina, mounted a spirited fightback to level at two sets apiece. In the decider, the American broke serve twice early to surge to a 4-1 lead. Serving for the match at 5-3, he squandered two match points from 40/15 and faced a break point, but saved it with an ace down the T before converting his third match point.
Head-to-Head and Rankings Impact
The victory extended Svajda's ATP head-to-head lead over Cerundolo to 2-1, with his previous win over the Argentine coming in Winston-Salem in 2024. By reaching the fourth round, Svajda has already guaranteed a new career-high ranking — he has climbed 26 spots to No. 59 in the ATP Live Rankings.
Cobolli Dismantles Tien to Set Up Last-16 Clash
Awaiting Svajda in the fourth round is 10th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy, who earlier swept past 18th seed Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, snapping the American's six-match winning streak. The 24-year-old, ranked World No. 14, converted seven of 13 break points against Tien, according to Infosys Stats.
This is Cobolli's second fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam, after his quarter-final run at 2025 Wimbledon. He is the fourth-highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, behind Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Andrey Rublev.
Cobolli Eyes Open Draw
'Of course I want to think match by match,' Cobolli said when asked about the relatively open Roland Garros draw. 'I know that there are many possibilities to have a new Grand Slam champion. For sure, we [will] have a new Grand Slam champion, but I don't want to think about this. For sure, I have another tough match,' he added.
With several top seeds already out of contention, the lower half of the draw offers a genuine path to the quarter-finals for both Svajda and Cobolli — and a potential career-defining week for the unseeded American.
Point of View
But the real question is whether his game, built for hard courts, can sustain clay-court intensity against a specialist like Cobolli. For Cobolli, the open draw is both an opportunity and a pressure trap: expectations will rise with every round, and his mental composure — not his groundstrokes — will be the deciding variable. The absence of Djokovic and Alcaraz from the bottom half of the draw means a first-time Grand Slam finalist is increasingly likely, and that context makes this Svajda-Cobolli match far more consequential than its seedings suggest.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Zachary Svajda and why is his French Open 2025 run significant?
Zachary Svajda is a 23-year-old American tennis player ranked No. 85 in the ATP Rankings. His run at the 2025 French Open is his first main-draw appearance at Roland Garros, and by reaching the fourth round he has secured a new career-high ranking of No. 59 in ATP Live Rankings.
What was the score in the Svajda vs Cerundolo match at Roland Garros 2025?
Svajda defeated 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 in a five-set match lasting three hours and three minutes on Court 14 at Stade Roland Garros on 30 May 2025.
Who does Svajda play next at the 2025 French Open?
Svajda faces 10th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the fourth round. A win would put him in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
How did Flavio Cobolli reach the French Open 2025 fourth round?
Cobolli beat 18th seed Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, converting seven of 13 break points to snap Tien's six-match winning streak. It is Cobolli's second fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam, after his quarter-final run at 2025 Wimbledon.
What is the current state of the Roland Garros 2025 draw?
The draw is considered unusually open, with Cobolli the fourth-highest-ranked player remaining behind Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Andrey Rublev. Cobolli himself acknowledged that a first-time Grand Slam champion is likely this fortnight.
