Zverev fights past Rafael Jodar scare to reach French Open semifinals

Second seed Alexander Zverev survived an early fightback against Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar to reach the French Open semifinals 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 at Roland Garros on Tuesday.

Nineteen-year-old Jodar threatened to spring a surprise in the opening set, breaking Zverev to advance 4-2 against last year’s runner-up. However, the German weathered the storm, fought his way back into the match and never looked back after overcoming a thrilling first set tiebreak.

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The victory sent Zverev into the Roland Garros semi-finals for the fifth time in six years as he continued his quest for a first Grand Slam title.

BEST CHANCE FOR ZVEREV TO WIN GRAND SLAM?

With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined with injury and world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic already out of the tournament, Zverev finds himself in one of his best opportunities to break his Grand Slam duck.

However, the German made it clear afterwards that simply reaching another semi-final meant nothing to him.

“Not really, I don’t really care. I want to go on, be in the tournament and win the matches in front of me, that’s my goal,” Zverev said when asked if he would reach the last four again.

“It was a very tough test against a very good player.

YOUNG JODAR JUSTIFIES THE HYPE

For most of the opening set, Jodar lived up to the hype surrounding him in Spanish tennis circles.

The teenager matched Zverev from the baseline and earned the first break of the match to move ahead 4-2, briefly putting the second seed under pressure.

Zverev responded in the manner expected of a player with far more experience on the biggest stages. Using his typical cross-court backhand, he repeatedly stretched Jodar wide, gradually controlled the game and leveled the score at 5-5.

The opening set lasted over an hour and ultimately proved to be the turning point of the contest.

Zverev escaped danger and dominated the tiebreak before carrying that momentum into the rest of the match.

The sheer weight of the shot from the German began to exhaust Jodar. The Spaniard repeatedly found himself rushed on both wings and struggled to consistently time the ball from the baseline.

After losing the opening set from a winning position, Jodar’s resistance waned. Zverev raced through the second set 6-1 before maintaining complete control in the third to seal victory in two hours and 29 minutes.

Zverev will face either Czech teenager Jakub Menšík or Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca for a place in the French Open final.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

02 Jun 2026 22:13 IST