PARIS — Alexander Zverev laid down a marker at the French Open on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar to book his spot in the semi-finals.
With the crushing 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win over the 19-year-old, Zverev advanced to his fifth Roland Garros semi-final in the last six years.
The second seed is considered the heavy favourite to win his first Grand Slam title, following the shock early departures of top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic last week in Paris.
Zverev has finished runner-up three times in Grand Slam finals, including at Roland Garros two years ago, and knows the pressure is firmly on him in the French capital as he bids to shake off his unwanted title of tennis’ nearly-man.
“I want to win the matches that are ahead of me, that is my goal, that is my aim,” said Zverev, who has only dropped one set en route to the last four.
“I just want to keep going, but yeah, we’ll see,” he added according to AFP.
Zverev will face either 19-year-old Joao Fonseca or 20-year-old Jakub Mensik on Friday for a spot in the final.
Jodar got in front in the opener as he broke the tentative German in the sixth game, overpowering his opponent in a brutal baseline exchange on break point.
But Zverev then stepped onto the front foot two games later to wipe out the break to love as Jodar was serving for the set, before confidently navigating his way through a tie-break.
The former world number two kept up the pressure in the second set and produced a double break of serve to take himself to the edge of an 11th Grand Slam semi-final appearance.
The match then looked up for 27th seed Jodar, who had battled through back-to-back five-setters to reach the quarter-finals, when Zverev broke him in the very first game of the third set.
The Spaniard found himself serving to keep his maiden French Open campaign alive but Zverev ground out a first match point and converted it with a bullet forehand winner from out wide.
