German third seed Alexander Zverev beat Spanish teenager Rafael Jódar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
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Alexander Zverev advanced to the semifinals of Roland Garros on Tuesday, defeating Spanish qualifier Rafael Jódar 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. The match lasted two hours and 25 minutes and was played on the Philippe-Chatrier court with the retractable roof closed due to rain threats.
Zverev, ranked third in the world, struggled in the opening set. Jódar, 19, served for the set at 5-2 but failed to convert. Zverev forced a tiebreak, which he won 7-3. From that point forward, the German dominated, conceding only four games across the final two sets.
The victory marks Zverev's tenth Grand Slam semifinal appearance and his fifth semifinal at Roland Garros in the past six years. He will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Brazilian João Fonseca and Czech Jakub Mensik in the semifinals.
Jódar, ranked 29th, had entered the tournament as one of the season's clay-court standouts, leading the circuit with 19 clay victories heading into Roland Garros. The Spanish teenager's run to the quarterfinals represented his best performance at a Grand Slam. He has now suffered four clay-court losses this season.
With top-ranked players Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and Jannik Sinner eliminated in the early rounds, Zverev is the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw. The German is seeking his first Grand Slam title. In his post-match interview, Zverev stated: "I won today. And that is all for now," while acknowledging the unpredictability of the tournament.
On the other side of the draw, Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime faces Italian Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday morning. Later that day, Italians Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi will compete for the final semifinal spot.
Moise Kouame, 17, defeated former US Open champion Marin Cilic at the French Open, becoming the youngest male Grand Slam match-winner in 17 years.
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk defeated Russia's Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 Saturday to claim her first WTA 1000 title and break into the world top 15.
Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina claimed the WTA 1000 Rome title, beating American Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 in the final.
Italian top seed Jannik Sinner defeated Cameron Norrie in the round of 16 at the Madrid Masters 1000. Compatriot Lorenzo Musetti was eliminated by Jiri Lehecka.
World number one Jannik Sinner withdrew from the French Open after suffering heat-related illness while leading Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo two sets to love and 5-2 in the third.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered a 2-6 6-3 7-5 defeat to Romania's Sorana Cirstea on Saturday, marking her second loss in three matches ahead of the French Open.
