Zverev outlasts Alcaraz to return to French Open semis

PARIS: German third seed Alexander Zverev capitalised on an error-filled performance from Carlos Alcaraz to tame the high-flying teenaged Spaniard 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-6(7) on Tuesday (May 31) and reach a second straight semi-final at the French Open.

This was the first time the 25-year-old Zverev defeated a top-10 opponent at a Grand Slam in 12 attempts and his victory came against a player who came into the contest having won 14 consecutive matches.

Zverev, who lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 semi-final, had a 2-1 head-to-head lead against Alcaraz but his opponent had won their most recent meeting - the only one on clay - this month in the final of the ATP Masters in Madrid.

Alcaraz made 56 unforced errors as Zverev saved a set point in the fourth set tiebreak before converting his second matchpoint to set up a meeting against either world number one Novak Djokovic or 13-time French Open champion Rafa Nadal.

"At the end of the day I knew I had to play absolutely my best tennis today from the start," a beaming Zverev said on court. "He kept coming back.

"He is going to win this tournament a lot of times not just once. I hope I can win it before he starts beating us all and I have no chance."

On a sun-bathed Court Philippe Chatrier, Zverev brought his best form to the match, serving strongly and remaining solid in the rallies against his athletic opponent who chased down almost everything that came his side of the net.

But Alcaraz seemed too eager to impose himself on the match early and it resulted in an array of unforced errors from the young Spaniard.

A couple of mistakes from Alcaraz in the fifth game opened the door for Zverev and he pounced to get the first break, which proved enough for him to bag the opening set.

Alcaraz,