The Charm of Teenagers at the 2025 French Open

In addition to Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Aryna Sabalenka, an interesting competition in the French Open tournament involves teenage tennis players. Different paths have been taken to reach the main draw of the Grand Slam.

Among the young tennis players who are in the spotlight on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Paris, from May 25 to June 8, there are three stars that have captured the attention of fans and international media. Although they were born in different years, all three are 18 years old when they compete at Roland Garros.

They are Mirra Andreeva, a Russian tennis player born in 2007, as well as Victoria Mboko and Joao Fonseca, who are only five days apart in age. Mboko was born on August 26, 2006, while Fonseca was born on August 21, 2006.

Their performance in the highest competition of this clay tournament is eagerly anticipated against different backgrounds. Among the three, Andreeva stands out, partly due to her sixth position in the women's singles world tennis ranking and being the sixth seed at the French Open. She is also competing in a Grand Slam event as a top ten ranked player for the first time.

Andreeva advanced to the third round after defeating Ashlyn Krueger at the Simonne-Mathieu Court, Roland Garros, on Thursday (29/5/2025), with a score of 6-3, 6-4, in the second round. On the same court, during her debut at the French Open in 2023, Andreeva also secured her place in the third round. However, her journey from the qualifying round at that time was halted by Cori “Coco” Gauff.

A year later, Andreeva returned to Roland Garros with a main draw ticket and was able to last longer, reaching the semifinals. It was also at this venue, two months later, that she won a silver medal in women's doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics while playing alongside Diane Shnaider.

"Yes, I am increasingly enjoying playing at Roland Garros. Although I sometimes get annoyed by the crowd's shouts when I am about to serve, I am used to it because they are supporting me," said Andreeva, who will face Yulia Putintseva in the third round.

Entering the professional competition arena in 2022, Andreeva was still classified as a junior tennis player as she was under 18 years old, specifically at the age of 15. She became the number one junior women's singles player in the world in May 2023. Andreeva and her sister, who is also a tennis player, Erika Andreeva, honed their skills at the Elite Tennis Center in Cannes, France, a venue that was previously used as a training ground for Daniil Medvedev.

The day before, Victoria Mboko surpassed Andreeva to secure a ticket to the quarter-finals. The Canadian tennis player defeated Eva Lys, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round and will test herself against the Paris 2025 Olympic gold medalist, Zheng Qin Wen, in the next challenge on Friday (30/5/2025).

Mboko has been participating in the 2025 French Open since the qualifying phase. He has won five matches to reach the third round. Additionally, this French Open marks the first Grand Slam for Mboko, a Canadian tennis player born in the United States to parents from Congo.

When Andreeva has a special connection to Paris as a semifinalist at the French Open and a silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Mboko has a connection, albeit in a different form. Her coach, Nathalie Tauziat, is a French tennis player who actively competed from 1984 to 2003. Tauziat's highest achievement was being a finalist at Wimbledon in 1998, and she reached the world ranking of third in the mid-2000s.

Not only has Tauziat accompanied Mboko since playing in the junior category, but he has also previously collaborated with another Canadian tennis player, Bianca Andreescu. The 2019 US Open Grand Slam champion was coached by Tauziat from the age of 14, in 2015. This relationship occurred because Tauziat worked for Tennis Canada after retiring as a tennis player.

Tauziat's touch, which has a serve and volley character, is seen in Mboko's development, especially in 2025. Although she still competes more often in ITF tournaments than on the WTA Tour, she won 37 times and lost five times before competing in the French Open. A total of 22 consecutive wins led Mboko to become champion in four tournaments at the beginning of the year.

That run earned her a wildcard into her first WTA 1000 main draw, in Miami. Entering claycourt competition, she competed at the WTA 1000 Rome as a qualifier.

Mboko was actually preparing to compete in the ITF tournament when the WTA Rome was held from May 6 to 18. Therefore, the qualifying ticket provided by the organizers came as a surprise to him.

Mboko's idol is none other than Serena Williams. "When watching tennis on TV, I always see Serena winning everything. As a child, I tried to imitate her playing style, striving to hit the ball as hard as possible. She is a role model and an icon of all time, not just for me, but also for young female tennis players," said Mboko on the official French Open website.

In the men's singles competition, Fonseca is the teenager who has drawn the most attention. Before Roland Garros, he became the center of attention for tennis fans when he appeared at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open Grand Slam, ATP Rio de Janeiro, ATP Buenos Aires, and ATP Masters 1000 Miami.

At Melbourne Park, in her first participation in the Australian Open, Fonseca competed from the qualifying round. However, unlike the other two Grand Slams she participated in, Wimbledon and the 2024 US Open, Fonseca successfully advanced to the main draw competition at the Australian Open.

He even eliminated the world top ten ranked player who was the ninth seed, Andrey Rublev, in the first round. Although he ultimately lost in the second round, the athlete who was born and resides in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, managed to push Lorenzo Sonego to play five sets.

"Facing Rublev was my first experience performing in a large stadium, as well as my first time competing against a player ranked in the top ten in the world. The audience was also very large," said Fonseca.

The match against Rublev took place at the Margaret Court Arena, which has a capacity of 7,500 spectators. This venue is the third largest stadium in Melbourne Park after Rod Laver Arena and John Cain Arena.

A month after that moment, Fonseca earned his first title from the ATP Tour by winning the ATP 250 Buenos Aires as an unseeded player. This title was achieved in his first final in professional tennis competition.

The championship title in Buenos Aires, the third round of the Miami Masters, and the experience of playing at Melbourne Park were brought to Roland Garros as Fonseca was able to compete directly in the main draw. He stated that the encounter against Rublev taught him how to navigate a match in a different atmosphere, namely playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam, in a large stadium, and in front of a substantial audience.

Adding to his courage in facing more experienced tennis players, Fonseca advanced to the second round in his debut at the French Open. The match against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, on Thursday (29/5/2025) evening, followed his victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the first round, two days prior.

Fonseca defeated the 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist and 30th seed in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2. He made 36 winners and just 15 unforced errors in the match.

Brazilian citizens watching the match between Fonseca and Hurkacz praised the champion of the ATP NextGen Finals 2024. Despite being only 18 years old, Fonseca is considered to possess an aura that captivates people to watch him.

Ivan, a resident of Brazil who was watching with his child, compared Fonseca to former Brazilian tennis player Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten. Kuerten, who competed in professional tennis from 1995 to 2008, won the French Open in 1997, 2000, and 2001. He also held the top world ranking in December 2000.

"The young man is very good. He is the future of Guga," said Ivan. (AFP)