PARIS (AP) — Unsung American tennis player Zachary Svajda is just as surprised as anyone that he’s into the second week at the French Open.
After all, he had won only one tour-level match on clay before competing in the main draw at Roland Garros for the first time.
He had never even played on a red clay court until two years ago.
“I’m definitely shocked,” the 85th-ranked Svajda said after beating established clay-courter Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round on Saturday. “It hasn’t kicked in yet. It’s crazy. I’m just taking it all in.
“I knew I would get good on the clay. I thought maybe in a few years, but I never expected right now,” added the 23-year-old Svajda, who took a set off Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open last year.
Svajda’s last match before the French Open was a 6-2, 6-2 loss to 580th-ranked Max Hans Rehberg in the first round of qualifying for the Geneva Open.
So when Svajda finished off the 26th-ranked Cerundolo after slightly more than three hours on Court 14, he dropped down to the clay on his back and covered his face.
In October, Svajda’s father and coach, Tom Svajda, died of cancer. Saturday was his dad’s birthday.
“The emotions were insane. When I fell to the ground, it was just so special. … I know he’s proud of me,” Svajda said of his father, who was a teaching pro at Pacific Beach Tennis Club in San Diego.
After winning the opening two sets, Svajda’s legs started cramping as the temperatures in Paris again soared above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
“I didn’t want to show it too much, so I just tried to shorten the points a little bit more. He started to up his game, play well,” Svajda said. “When I lost the third and fourth, I told myself, ’Just keep trusting, keep believing, and you never know what could happen.'
“There was great atmosphere out there. The crowd really helped me.”
Svajda’s previous best Grand Slam result was reaching the second round of the 2021 U.S. Open. He next faces 14th-ranked Flavio Cobolli for a spot in the quarterfinals after the Italian eliminated American player Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
Svajda has been celebrating his run in Paris in French style, posting a photo of himself on TikTok wearing a beret and holding a giant croissant.
“It’s so much fun,” he said. “That one is going viral.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Redwood Symphony presents a unique, must-see musical event: the West Coast premiere of long-… Read moreA Little Night Music
Come and connect with local organizations, learn about support for housing, food, youth serv… Read moreOur Home San Mateo community resource fair
Amy Sousa, a women's rights activist and psychologist, Keith Lierre, founder of Women's Libe… Read moreTalk at RWC Library - The transgender assault on Women and Girls
Doug D'Anna said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.