2023-06-07 23:55:58
German Alexander Zverev qualified for the Roland Garros semi-finals on Wednesday by dismissing Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry. He will meet Norwegian Casper Ruud on Friday, who defeated Danish prodigy Holger Rune.
Published on :
Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud are back in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros: the first left his semi-finals last year on the Central leaning on crutches as he pushed Rafael Nadal to his limits, the other continued until the final where the Spaniard corrected him.
Alexander Zverev has made his return to the highest level: a year after having very violently twisted his right ankle, the German again climbed into the last four by dismissing the unexpected Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry (49th on Wednesday June 7). ) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“I’m in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros and I’m very happy about it! As I said before, the past year has been the most difficult of my life. That’s why I’m so happy to be back. I’m coming back on Friday (for his semi-final) and I couldn’t be happier,” the 26-year-old commented.
Last year, he was having a hard time with Nadal when he got injured. Two days later, the Spaniard won his 14th Parisian title. The injury kept him out for the rest of the 2022 season and he has yet to score four straight tournament wins since returning in early 2023.
At Roland-Garros, he is at five and will play his third semi-final in a row with his sights set on a first Major final since the US Open 2020.
“Not finished”
“My tournament is not over, he insisted after his qualification on Wednesday. I am certainly happy to have arrived there, but I still have, I hope, two matches to play. And they will not be easier” than against Etcheverry who took his first set of the tournament.
First, he will face Norwegian Casper Ruud (4th) on Friday who defeated Danish prodigy Holger Rune (6th) 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
“I’m relieved… I wanted to play relaxed, but it was very difficult,” admitted Ruud, saying he “played at a high level” in the three sets he won, even though Rune “gave him a lot free points” in the top two, presumably because he “didn’t feel well”. “He was favorite because he had a better start to the season than me, but I really wanted to go back to the semis,” added the 2022 finalist.
The other half will offer the much-awaited shock between the two big favorites in the absence of Rafel Nadal, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (N.1) and the Serbian Novak Djokovic (3rd), who qualified on Tuesday.
In the women’s draw, the world number 1 Iga Swiatek is there and is only one game away from the long-awaited final against number 2 Aryna Sabalenka. To achieve this, she will have to dismiss the surprising Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (14th) on Thursday.
With AFP
#Alexander #Zverev #Casper #Ruud #RolandGarros #semifinals