PARIS: Alexander Zverev overcame an early scare to defeat Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday and secure a place in the French Open semi-finals as the German continues his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam crown.
The second seed battled back from a break down in the opening set before taking control of the contest, reaching the Roland Garros semi-finals for the fifth time in the last six years.
With several top contenders already out of the tournament, Zverev finds himself in a strong position to challenge for his first major title. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has been hampered by injury, while world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have already exited the competition.
Despite another deep run in Paris, Zverev made it clear that merely reaching the semi-finals is not enough.
“Not really, I don’t really care. I want to keep going, be in the tournament and win the matches ahead of me, that’s my goal,” Zverev said after the match.
“It was a very tough test against a very good player.”
The highly anticipated clash between the experienced German and the rising Spanish star started brightly for Jodar, who broke serve to take a 4-2 lead in the opening set.
However, Zverev responded with composure and experience, using his powerful baseline game and precise crosscourt backhands to drag his opponent around the court. He recovered the break to level at 5-5 before dominating the tiebreak to claim the crucial first set.
From that point onward, momentum firmly shifted in Zverev’s favour. The German raised his level significantly, while Jodar struggled to maintain the intensity that had troubled his opponent early in the match.
Zverev cruised through the second set and remained in control throughout the third, eventually sealing victory in straight sets to book his place in the final four.
The German will now face either Czech rising star or Brazilian teenager for a place in the French Open final.
As the tournament enters its decisive stage, Zverev remains firmly focused on capturing the one major title that has so far eluded him.