Roland Garros 2026 Semifinals: Kostyuk, Zverev, Mensik

Kostyuk Makes History as Roland Garros 2026 Reaches the Final Four

Marta Kostyuk walked off Court Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday, June 2, as the first Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal in the Open Era. That is not a small footnote. It is the lead. She beat Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in an all-Ukrainian quarterfinal that carried weight well beyond the scoreboard — no handshake at the net, no pleasantries, just the loaded silence that has defined their meetings since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On the same day, eighth seed Mirra Andreeva dismantled Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 in 66 minutes to confirm the women's first semifinal. Alexander Zverev and Jakub Mensik sealed the other half of the men's draw with straight-set wins, producing a clash of generations that will play out on Chatrier on Friday. As the second week at Roland Garros opens, here is the full picture of where the semifinals stand, who plays whom, and when to tune in from India.

Women's Draw: A Semifinal Already Set, Another Being Decided

Kostyuk vs Andreeva — Thursday, June 4 (Not Before 3:00 PM Paris / 6:30 PM IST)

Kostyuk (seed #15) arrives at her first Grand Slam semifinal on the back of a 17-match winning streak on clay in 2026. The run is not an accident. Earlier in Paris, she knocked out four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek in the fourth round 7-5, 6-1 before accounting for Svitolina. She won the Madrid Open WTA 1000 title on clay in May, defeating Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in that final. The clay has been her surface this spring, and the evidence is now impossible to overlook.

Andreeva (seed #8) reached her third consecutive Roland Garros quarterfinal before the age of 20 — the last woman to do that at this tournament was Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1999. Her win over Cirstea showed composure in the first set (a double-bagel) and then focused precision in the second. She is a baseliner who uses heavy topspin effectively on clay, extends rallies, and waits for opponents to err.

The tactical problem for Andreeva is that Kostyuk does not err much right now. Their head-to-head stands at 2-0 in Kostyuk's favour: a Brisbane final victory earlier in 2026 and the Madrid title match. Neither meeting has been particularly close. Andreeva, however, is on a surface she understands well, playing at a venue where she has consistently been productive. The head-to-head number flatters Kostyuk, but Andreeva's game is not built to simply repeat the same mistakes twice.

Kostyuk's baseline game is aggressive and flatter than Andreeva's, which can be a double-edged characteristic on Paris clay — when it works, points are short and decisive; when the court softens or Andreeva pushes the pace high, Kostyuk will need to adjust. She has managed that adjustment consistently this fortnight. Andreeva's best route into the match is through extended, physical exchanges. She has the fitness and the mental composure for it. Whether that translates over a best-of-three on this specific Thursday is the match question, not a certainty in either direction.

The Second Women's Semifinal (Thursday, June 4)

The second semifinal in the women's draw was not confirmed at the time of writing because two quarterfinal matches remained to be played on Wednesday, June 3 in Paris. World number one Aryna Sabalenka (seed #1) faced Diana Shnaider (seed #25), and Anna Kalinskaya (seed #22) faced Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska. Sabalenka had not dropped a single set through her four rounds, beating Naomi Osaka 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round. Chwalinska arrived in her quarterfinal as one of the tournament's genuine surprise stories — a qualifier making her third Grand Slam main draw appearance, having beaten Diane Parry to reach the last eight.

The second women's semifinal on Thursday will feature the winners of those two quarterfinals.

Women's Semifinal Bracket

Player	Seed	Path to SF	H2H vs Opponent
Marta Kostyuk	#15	d. Swiatek (R4) 7-5, 6-1; d. Svitolina (QF) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2	Leads Andreeva 2-0
Mirra Andreeva	#8	d. Cirstea (QF) 6-0, 6-3	Trails Kostyuk 0-2
Aryna Sabalenka	#1	d. Osaka (R4) 7-5, 6-3; QF result pending June 3	TBD
Kalinskaya / Chwalinska	#22 / Q	QF result pending June 3	TBD

Second SF pairing to be confirmed after June 3 quarterfinals. All women's SFs on Thursday, June 4; first match not before 11:00 AM Paris (2:30 PM IST), main SF block not before 3:00 PM Paris (6:30 PM IST).

Men's Draw: Zverev and Mensik Are Through, Two More to Come

Zverev vs Mensik — Friday, June 5 (Exact Time TBC)

Alexander Zverev (seed #2) put on a methodical display against 19-year-old wildcard Rafael Jodar on Chatrier on June 2, winning 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3. After a tight opening set, Zverev moved through Jodar with the kind of unhurried authority that characterises his best clay work. This is his fifth Roland Garros semifinal, his eleventh Grand Slam semifinal overall. He knows what is required at this stage.

Jakub Mensik (seed #26) defeated Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3) in a match Fonseca made him work for — particularly in the third set, where Mensik had to convert his seventh match point to close it out. Fonseca had arrived at that quarterfinal having beaten Novak Djokovic in the third round and Casper Ruud in the fourth. Mensik stopping him was not a given, and the manner in which the Czech 20-year-old did it — composure under pressure, consistent from the back of the court, opening angles — pointed to a player who handles the big moments.

Mensik at 6 feet 5 inches plays with an aggressive baseline approach. He takes risks early in rallies, moves forward effectively, and carries a heavy serve. The surface has not slowed him down. He is the first Czech man born in 2004 or later to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. This is also his first Grand Slam semifinal. Zverev leads their head-to-head 1-0, from a Madrid meeting earlier this year.

The structural advantage is with Zverev: greater experience at this stage of a major, better clay numbers over a longer career, and a game built for Paris — heavy lefty serve, large wingspan that eats up the high-bouncing clay ball, and the ability to absorb pace and redirect it. Mensik's advantage is the opposite of experience: he carries no fear of the occasion, has been playing with obvious confidence throughout the fortnight, and his serve and forehand are weapons that do not diminish on clay. This is a legitimate semifinal, not a foregone conclusion.

The Second Men's Semifinal (Friday, June 5)

The other half of the men's draw was unsettled as of June 3. Felix Auger-Aliassime (seed #4, Canada) faced Flavio Cobolli (seed #10, Italy) in one quarterfinal, and Matteo Berrettini faced Matteo Arnaldi in an all-Italian night session match at Philippe-Chatrier. The two results will determine Zverev and Mensik's potential final opponent.

Auger-Aliassime had beaten Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 in the fourth round. Berrettini returned to this stage of a major for the first time in five years after coming through Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(6). Arnaldi, notably, set a record for cumulative court time at Roland Garros in reaching the quarterfinals. The second men's SF will be confirmed after the Wednesday matches.

Men's Semifinal Bracket

Player	Seed	Path to SF	H2H vs Opponent
Alexander Zverev	#2	d. Jodar (QF) 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3	Leads Mensik 1-0
Jakub Mensik	#26	d. Fonseca (QF) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3)	Trails Zverev 0-1
Felix Auger-Aliassime	#4	d. Tabilo (R4) 6-3, 7-5, 6-1; QF result pending June 3	TBD
Berrettini / Arnaldi / Cobolli	TBD	QF results pending June 3	TBD

Second SF pairing to be confirmed after June 3 quarterfinals. Men's SFs on Friday, June 5; first match not before 12:30 PM Paris (4:00 PM IST), second not before 7:00 PM Paris (10:30 PM IST).

The Context No One Mentions Enough: The Missing Names

The men's draw at Roland Garros 2026 looked entirely different on paper at the start of the fortnight. Jannik Sinner, the world number one, lost in the second round to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, withdrew before the tournament with a wrist injury. Novak Djokovic was beaten by the 19-year-old Fonseca in the third round.

The absence of those three names is why Mensik and Fonseca reached the quarterfinals; it is why Zverev, who lost his last three Roland Garros finals here in 2020, 2021, and 2024, now finds himself with the most direct path to a first Grand Slam title that he has had in years. Zverev has never won a major. He is 29. He is, by tournament draw logic and form, the nearest thing to a favourite in the men's half.

None of that means the second week plays itself out tidily. Clay neutralises power differentials, rewards persistence, and tolerates unorthodox games. Mensik's game is not conventional. Kostyuk's winning streak has a weight of momentum behind it that does not simply evaporate. Andreeva has reached this stage of a Slam twice before, and she is 19 years old.

The Ukrainian Dimension

Two stories in this draw carry dimensions that go beyond the standard tennis frame. Kostyuk defeating Svitolina, with no handshake, in the first all-Ukrainian quarterfinal at Roland Garros in the Open Era, was one. Both players have been playing tennis through an active war in their home country for more than four years now. Svitolina, 29, has used her platform with consistent and public force. Kostyuk, 22, has been no less direct in her positions. The match lasted just over two hours and Kostyuk controlled it. The post-match absence of a handshake is a detail the French media covered; the Indian sports audience does not need to be told what it represents.

Andreeva, who now faces Kostyuk, holds a Russian passport. The diplomatic complexity is simply part of this semifinal's background. On court, it is Kostyuk's clay form and Andreeva's consistency versus each other.

What to Watch

Kostyuk's serve patterns on Thursday. Her flat, aggressive serving was a factor against Swiatek and Svitolina. If her first-serve percentage holds above 60% against Andreeva, she controls the tempo.
Whether Andreeva forces a third set. She has the baseline durability to extend the match. A third set would shift physical and mental conditions, and Andreeva's record in long matches on clay in 2026 is worth tracking.
Mensik in the third set against Zverev. The Czech teenager needed seven match points to close against Fonseca. Zverev is a more experienced closer. How Mensik handles a tight third, if it arrives, is the test.
The confirmation of second SFs. Check Sony LIV (India's official broadcaster for Roland Garros 2026, available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada) and the official Roland Garros app after Wednesday June 3 for the full four-player SF brackets.
Men's SF timing for India. The first men's SF on Friday June 5 is not before 12:30 PM Paris, which is 4:00 PM IST — a workday afternoon, but watchable. The second men's SF goes not before 7:00 PM Paris (10:30 PM IST). Women's SFs on Thursday June 4 start not before 3:00 PM Paris (6:30 PM IST).
What a Kostyuk final would mean. She would become the first Ukrainian woman to reach a Roland Garros singles final. The draw is set. The clay is red. The tennis is consequential.

Roland Garros 2026: Kostyuk Makes History, Zverev vs Mensik