The semifinal curse is over: Alexander Zverev had a fantastic Friday in Paris and defeated Casper Ruud. Now he is aiming for the clay court crown.
Alexander Zverev raised his racket and smiled contentedly. The German tennis star has overcome his semi-final curse at the French Open and reached the final in Paris for the first time at the fourth attempt. The 27-year-old beat Norwegian Casper Ruud 2:6, 6:2, 6:4, 6:2 and is now just one win away from his long-awaited first Grand Slam title.
In the final on Sunday, the Hamburg native will challenge the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (21), who had previously won the duel of the young stars with Jannik Sinner (22) 2:6, 6:3, 3:6, 6:4, 6:3 and is also in the final of Roland Garros for the first time. Zverev used his first match point after 2 hours and 35 minutes. Before the match, the trial against him on charges of assault in Berlin ended without a verdict.
For the Olympic champion, it is the second Grand Slam final overall; in 2020, he narrowly missed the big coup against Austrian Dominic Thiem at the US Open. At the French Open, he is only the second German player after Michael Stich 28 years ago to fight for the Coupe des Mousquetaires in the final duel.
Zverev dominates from the second set
Ruud, who had benefited from defending champion Novak Djokovic’s injury-related withdrawal in the quarterfinals, initially appeared more rested and focused. Zverev lost his first service game to zero and initially found no way to counter his opponent’s varied game.
From the second set onwards, however, Zverev found his rhythm, his shots became more powerful and his first serve was also more consistent. Ruud came under increasing pressure and made mistakes. The world number seven also seemed physically weakened, repeatedly hunching over after rallies.
Zverev had already received some positive news from home before his first serve: the trial against him had ended without a verdict. The Tiergarten district court in Berlin closed the case in return for a fine of 200,000 euros. There was no conviction. Agreeing to pay a fine does not constitute an admission of guilt. Zverev is still considered innocent.
Young stars with cramps
With his prestigious victory against the future world number 1, Alcaraz also set an age record: he is the youngest player in the professional era to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces: clay, grass and hard court. He has won his previous finals at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon.
“It was one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played,” said Alcaraz, who was suffering from cramps just like his opponent. “You have to find the joy in suffering. I think that’s the key, especially here on clay at Roland Garros.”
Paolini with two title chances
In the women’s final on Saturday, Polish world number one Iga Swiatek and outsider Jasmine Paolini from Italy will contest the final. Paolini can also celebrate a double triumph in Paris after she and Sara Errani reached the final on Friday in the doubles with a 1:6, 6:4, 6:1 win against Marta Kostjuk from Ukraine and Elena-Gabriela Ruse from Romania. Coco Gauff from the USA and Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic await as opponents there.
Source: Stern
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