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.”
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