PARIS — Germany’s Alexander Zverev wobbled early on but steadied himself to get past ailing seventh seed Casper Ruud 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-2 and reach the French Open final, where he will take on Carlos Alcaraz of Spain on Sunday for an elusive maiden Grand Slam title.
This will be the first French Open men´s final without Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer since 2004.
The fourth seed, competing in his fourth straight Roland Garros semi-final, finally broke through to become the second German man to make the title clash in the Open Era and match Michael Stich’s feat from 1996.
He made a slow start as Ruud grabbed an early break and took the first set with some clean ball-striking in front of a sparse crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, as fans were still recovering from a four-hour epic between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Having found his range in the second set, Zverev squandered the opportunity to grab a double break with a wayward volley but the 27-year-old pulled away to level the match and broke in the fifth game of third set before extending his advantage.
The 25-year-old Ruud slowly looked like himself again after dealing with a stomach issue but his hopes of a third successive Paris final faded when Zverev struck in the Norwegian’s opening service game in the fourth set and ran away with the match.
Alcaraz came out on top against second seed Sinner, beating the Italian 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3, and is excited by the prospect of emulating his heroes.
“Well, I have a special feeling to this tournament, because I remember when I finished school I’m running to my home just to put the TV on and watch the matches here in the French Open,” Alcaraz said according to Reuters.
“Of course, Nadal dominating this tournament for, let’s say, 14, 15 years. It’s something unbelievable.
“I wanted to put my name on that list of the Spanish players who won this tournament. Not only Rafael. (Juan Carlos) Ferrero, (Carlos) Moya, (Albert) Costa, a lot of Spanish players, legends from our sport that won this tournament.
“I really want to put my name on that list, as well.”
Alcaraz also wants to be a player able to win on any surface, having already tasted success on the grass of Wimbledon and the hard courts at the US Open.
“Well, I always wanted to be one of the best players in the world. If I want to be one of the best players in the world, I have to be a good player in every surface, like Roger (Federer) did, Novak (Djokovic), Rafael, (Andy) Murray,” he said.
“The best players in the world had success in every surface.
“So I consider myself a player who adapts very well his style in every surface. And, well, I grew up playing on clay but I feel more comfortable playing on hard court, for example.
“I think my game suits very well to the clay, to clay season, to the clay court, as well. So I just wanted to be a good player in every surface.”
The Spaniard became the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces, a fact he was aware of immediately after his semi-final success, but prefers to focus on what is to come.
“Yeah, I knew that. I mean, I checked the phone after the win,” a smiling Alcaraz noted after the win according to AP.
No matter who wins the second semifinal, this will be the first French Open men´s final without Nadal, Djokovic or Federer since 2004.
Djokovic was the defending champion in Paris, but he withdrew before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee and had surgery this week.
Because he failed to get back to the final, he will drop from atop the ATP rankings, allowing Sinner to rise a spot from No. 2, despite his defeat Friday.
“Obviously disappointed how it ended, but it´s part of my growing and the process,” said Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January for his first major trophy. “The winner is happy, and then the loser tries to find a way to beat him the next time.”
The 22-year-old Italian showed up in Paris with a lingering hip injury that forced him to sit out the clay-court tournament in Rome last month. Alcaraz missed that event; too, because of a right forearm issue that he said made him afraid to hit his booming forehands at full force.
Both men experienced physical problems in the third set. Alcaraz’s right hand began to cramp. Sinner had his right forearm and left thigh massaged by a trainer during changeovers.
It brought to mind last year´s French Open semi-finals, when Alcaraz got off to a terrific start against Djokovic but then dealt with full-body cramps that rendered the remainder of the match anticlimactic.
“I learned from last year´s match against Djokovic, when I was in the same position as today,” Alcaraz said. “I know that, in this moment, you have to be calm, you have to keep going, because the cramp is going to go away. You have to stay there, fighting.”
