Alexander Zverev reached his first French Open semifinal as he overcame Alejandro Davidovich 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 in the men’s singles quarterfinal in Paris on Tuesday.
The Spaniard ran out of steam evidently after marathon matches in the previous rounds and it was a day to remember for Zverev who looked in complete control.
Zverev, seeded sixth, made it through to the French Open last eight for the third time in four years but he has now made it one step further. He has now won his last 15 sets after recovering from two sets down against qualifier Oscar Otte in the first round.
Spain’s Davidovich Fokina, who turned 22 last week, was playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
In the other quarterfinal to determine Zverev’s next opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas hopes to stay on course for a first Grand Slam final when he meets rival Daniil Medvedev in the night match, the last to be played behind closed doors before the easing of a nationwide curfew.
Greek fifth seed Tsitsipas will try to reach a third successive major semi-final, having lost a thrilling five-setter to Novak Djokovic in Paris last year.
Blocking his path is second seed Medvedev, the Russian who hadn’t won a match in four previous visits to the French Open but has looked increasingly assured on clay over the past week.
Medvedev, a runner-up at the 2019 US Open and this year’s Australian Open finalist, holds a 6-1 head-to-head advantage over Tsitsipas.
He beat the Greek in straight sets in the last four in Melbourne in their most recent meeting.
“He does serve extremely well, I have to say. He has improved over the years with his serve. This is going to be something that I will have to face,” said Tsitsipas, who compared Medvedev’s serve to that of John Isner.
“Of course, myself playing well, I feel like I don’t have to think against who I’m facing or not, I just have to play my game, let the rest be witnessed.”
Medvedev could take over the number one ranking if he reaches the final and Djokovic does not.
He has a career win-loss record of 15-20 on clay, but the return of Roland Garros to its traditional May-June slot and far warmer temperatures have helped the Russian shake off bad memories of past editions.
“Definitely a better feeling than losing the first round, going home on Tuesday like I think two or three times I lost here Sunday. It’s not a good feeling. I hope it’s going to be better with every year,” said Medvedev.
The winner will go on to play Zverev with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on course to meet in the semi-final in the other half of the draw.
(With AFP inputs)
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