Fonseca, the 28th seed, was staring down a loss on Friday when trailing 15-40 on his serve down 4-3 in the fourth set. However, he used two of his 11 break-point saves in 16 opportunities to rally, winning the final three games to force a fifth set.
Djokovic then took a 3-1 lead in the final set before he was immediately broken back. Fonseca came away with the decisive break at 5-5 and served out the match with a deuce game to complete the comeback in a match that came seven minutes short of five hours.
With the victory, Fonseca is through to the fourth round of a major for the first time off his second career top-10 win.
“I actually didn’t [believe I could win],” Fonseca in his on-court interview.
“I just played, I just enjoyed being on court. What a pleasure it was and what an idol we have. It’s a pleasure just stepping on the court against him. It’s my first time stepping on court against him, so just thanking him and I’m just very happy.”
It’s just the second time that Djokovic, who has won three of his record 24 Grand Slams at the French Open, has blown a two-set lead, previously doing so at the 2010 French Open against Jurgen Melzer.
With his exit, three of the top five seeds have been eliminated before the round of 16.
There will also now be a guaranteed first-time Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros, with each of the three competitors who have won a major – Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Stan Wawrinka – eliminated.
Djokovic was not the only top-10 seed knocked out on Friday.
No. 8 Alex de Minaur of Australia saw his fast start quickly fade in a 0-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 loss to 26th-seeded Czech Jakub Mensik.
After Mensik had no winners and 11 unforced errors in the first set, he converted seven of 14 break-point chances over the final three sets.
De Minaur, on the other hand, had 15 winners to 36 unforced errors after his dominant first set.
Additionally, Russian No. 13 seed Karen Khachanov took a marathon 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-2 loss to Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong, who had 61 winners and 41 unforced errors to secure his first-ever win over a top-15 opponent.
Another Russian, 11th-seeded Andrey Rublev, did not have the same trouble on Friday, sweeping Portugal’s Nuno Borges 7-5, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) to coast into the fourth round.
Fonseca wasn’t the only 19-year-old to reach the fourth round during the day’s action. Spanish teen Rafael Jodar, the No. 27 seed, outlasted American Alex Michelsen 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first fourth round at a major.
“I’m super happy to be in the fourth round here at Roland Garros, it’s a dream come true,” Jodar said after his four-hour, 16-minute victory.
“I had to fight a lot today. It was a really tough match. Alex played great the whole match, so I want to congratulate him and wish him the best for the rest of the season.”
Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain also reached the Round of 16 with a 7-6 (0), 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 triumph over Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante.
In the evening session, No. 15 Casper Ruud of Norway saved two match points and rallied past American 24th seed Tommy Paul in four hours and 43 minutes, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Ruud, who saved 12 of 14 break points in all, fended off a double match point in the 10th game of the fourth set before running off five consecutive points in the tiebreaker.
With the fifth set tied 5-5, Ruud extended the 11th game with a pair of break points saved, went ahead and broke Paul’s serve to win the match.
“It’s battles like this you train hard for,” said Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist who’ll face Fonseca in the fourth round.
“To be in a position to be love-two down, it’s not fun, but it’s an opportunity to come back. I just told myself, ‘One set at a time and see what happens from there.'”
No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, who is now the heavy favourite to win his first-ever Grand Slam event, eliminated Quentin Halys of France 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. Zverev lost in the 2024 final at Roland Garros. (Reuters)