Preview: Alex de Minaur vs. Jakub Mensik- French Open prediction, form, head-to-head

Alex de Minaur and Jakub Mensik will meet on clay for the first time, with a place in the last 16 of the French Open on the line on Friday.

The Aussie won his round two outing this week in a walkover versus Alexander Blockx, while Mensik fought off a pesky Mariano Navaone 6-3 2-6 6-4 1-6 7-6 (13-11).

Match preview

It has been smooth sailing for Alex de Minaur in the early going of this tournament, playing fewer than two hours of tennis thus far.

His walkover victory over Blockx put him into the third round of the French Open for only the second time in the last decade and the first since 2024.

That year was the only time he had made it beyond round three at Roland-Garros, defeating Jan-Lennard Struff at that phase en route to the quarter-finals.

At Roland-Garros this year, the 27-year-old has won 77% of his first serves and converted five of his nine break-point opportunities.

On clay in 2026, the Aussie has saved nearly 70% of his break points while winning over 70% of his service games on that surface.

At the same time, de Minaur has converted over 40% of his break points on clay in 2026, but has captured fewer than 30% of his return points.

After a relatively comfortable opening match, it was anything but that for Jakub Mensik on court 6 at Roland-Garros on Wednesday.

It took him more than four hours and 40 minutes to advance, as he hit 11 aces along the way, to eventually capture the marathon affair.

While his first serve percentage has been below 60 thus far, he won over 90% of his serves in match one and another 75% in the second round.

Meanwhile, he has converted a total of nine break points across his two matches at this event and has combined for over 90 receiving points over that stretch.

Friday will mark the first time he features in the third round of the French Open, while a win would equal his best-ever finish at a major tournament, when he got to round four of this year’s Australian Open.

Mensik has lost two of his three Grand Slam third-round matches after winning the opening set, with his only triumph in that scenario coming at the Aussie Open against Lorenzo Musetti earlier this year.