Alexander Zverev finally advanced past the semi-final at the Roland Garros by beating Casper Ruud, setting up the Roland Garros final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The German made the semi-final in Paris for three consecutive years, but he never advanced past that stage at the clay-court major. This year finally proved that year as he was able to easily dispatch two-time finalist Ruud in four sets.
The opening was not good for Zverev, who got crushed by a very inspired Norwegian, who won the opening set 6-2. Ruud was flying around the court, hitting the serve and forehand well, and it was just a marvelous performance by the two-time finalist.
Zverev looked stunned and tired, but he picked up the slack in a major way in the second set. He actually gave Ruud a taste of his own medicine by beating him 6-2 as the Norwegian started to deal with physical problems.
He called the doctor for a stomach issue and took a pill, but his tennis didn’t really improve. Ruud still looked sluggish and weak in the third set, as Zverev was able to take an early break and then cruise to the finish line, winning it 6-4.
The German looked in full control by that point and broke Ruud early in the fourth set from which the Norwegian never recovered. It wasn’t a special performance by Zverev but he didn’t need it as his opponent wasn’t playing his best either, struggling with some type of sickness.
It was a lucky break for the German, who spent a lot of time on the courts and was glad to escape in less than three hours. The final score was 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, and on Sunday, Zverev will play against Carlos Alcaraz in the final.