As Luis Guto Miguel celebrated a stirring triumph at Roland Garros, the popularity of the No. 1 seed was obvious in and around the No.10 court was obvious.

The 6-4 1-6 6-3 success of the resilient Miguel over talented Austrian Thilo Behrmann in a boys’ quarter-final continued a stunning fortnight in Paris for Brazilian players.

Similarly to the opening day of the Roland Garros Junior Championships on Sunday preceding Joao Fonseca’s victory over Casper Ruud, the outside courts at Roland Garros were packed with fans.

The 17-year-old, who possesses considerable power on his ground strokes along with a mature all-court game, held his nerve extremely well in the latter stages of this last-eight tussle.

“It was windy conditions and today was always tough to play, but I just tried to live in the present,” Miguel said. 

“I lost 6-1 in the second set, but I think I stayed focused and I just controlled the things that I could and I got the win.”

While signing autographs and posing for photographs with fans afterwards, peers including Brazilian girls’ semi-finalist Victoria Luiza Barros shouted their congratulations to him.

“I think it's a great feeling, not just for me on the court, but for all my team and for the crowd from Brazil,” he said.

“They cheered a lot for me and it is not only in Brazil. Our fans are across the whole world, cheering for the Brazilians, so that’s an amazing atmosphere. I like to play with the crowd.”

A strong performance from Leonardo Storck Franca, who defeated No.4 seed Jack Kennedy 6-3 7-6 (1), means Brazil has two boys in the semi-finals. 

Brazil will be guaranteed a boys' finalist given the pair meet on Friday. The second boys' semi-final will be an all-American affair as Keaton Hance takes on Michael Antonius. 

Antonius, the No. 13 seed, was a dominant 6-2 6-1 victor over reigning Australian Open boys’ champion Ziga Sesko, while Hance edged No.3 seed Jamie Mackenzie 6-3 5-7 7-6 (6).

Miguel understands Brazil’s rich tradition at Roland Garros and dined with Raphael Kuerten, the brother of three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten, earlier this week in Paris.

“We caught up for one hour and a half. He was lunching with us and he was telling us amazing stories that happened here,” Miguel said.

“Brazil is living a great moment again and, in this tournament especially, we have a lot of history. Here at Roland Garros, it's always a pleasure to play and I am always enjoying it a lot. We are still in the semi-finals, so let's keep it up.”

Hailing from Brasilia, Miguel is also friendly with Fonseca and has practiced with the 19-year-old, who won the US Open boys' title in 2023 and also topped the ITF World Tennis Tour boys' rankings.

“For sure, he is an inspiration and when we had practice, he gave me a lot of advice,” Miguel said. 

“He said to be humble, take no care about what other people say about you, just take care of yourself and do the things that you can control. For sure, he is an inspiration.”

Storck Franca, who fell to his back in joy and was emotional after his win over Kennedy, is the only unseeded semi-finalist but Miguel is mindful of the challenge to come on Friday.

“Everyone in the draw plays well, you know, so it's always tough,” he said. 

“You always have to give your 100 percent because they could be the next Top 10 player. They could be the next Top 100 player, so it's always tough to play against them. I am just trying to stay 100 per cent focused.”

A full list of results from the 2026 Roland Garros Junior Championships is available here