<p>Days after collapsing on the ‌red dirt of Paris following his second-round ‌victory in sweltering conditions, Mensik shone on a cool evening following a spell of rain to ‌book a last-four clash with ⁠title favourite Alexander ‌Zverev.</p><p>"I'm still in the match a little bit,"<strong> </strong>Mensik said in his on-court interview after surpassing compatriot Ivan Lendl, who made the 1981 Paris semi-finals at the age of 21.</p><p><strong>"Joao is a great guy and a great competitor. Before the match, I knew it would be a tough one. We started a bit nervous and at the end of the match, there were some incredible shots.</strong></p><p><strong>"I'm super happy I was the one who came back. I managed to stay focused and keep fighting until the end."</strong></p><p>After four straight holds of serve to kick off ​the contest under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof, the momentum swung when ​Mensik edged ahead with a break, and the 20-year-old Czech stayed firm from there to ⁠win the ​opening set.</p><p>The ice-cool Mensik tightened his grip on the contest when the second set unfolded in a similar fashion, as the 19-year-old Fonseca's serve ‌let him down in a crucial moment and he then struggled to find a way past the wall in front of him.</p><p>The youngest Roland Garros men's quarter-final since a 20-year-old Rafa Nadal defeated a teenage Novak Djokovic in 2006 looked in danger of becoming a rout as Mensik bagged the ‌set when his opponent pushed a shot ​wide.</p><p>With his adoring Brazilian fans stunned and ‌the frustration rising, Fonseca came out firing in the third set, but was broken when serving for it at 5-4. Mensik drew level before wasting six match ⁠points and eventually ⁠prevailing via a ‌tiebreak.</p><p><strong>"The last game and tiebreak was one of my best performances so far," </strong>added Mensik, who was mentored during his junior days by Djokovic.</p><p><strong>"A couple of match points I didn't know if the ball was out or in... It was really tough to stay focused until the end and I'm really happy that I managed to come back in the tiebreak and move my game a little bit forward."</strong></p><p><strong>Click here for more on the match</strong></p>