Zverev downs ailing Ruud to set up Alcaraz final at Roland Garros

PARIS : Alexander Zverev wobbled early on but steadied himself to get past ailing seventh seed Casper Ruud 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-2 on Friday and reach the French Open final, where he will take on Carlos Alcaraz for an elusive maiden Grand Slam title.

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.