Alexander Zverev booked his place in the semifinals of the French Open after a 7-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory against Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar.
The German defeated Jodar to confirm his fifth semi-final at Roland Garros and he will now await the winner of Joao Fonseca and Jakub Mensik.
Zverev’s latest victory was his 91st Grand Slam win since 2020, which sees him equal Carlos Alcaraz’s record in the same timespan.
Asked if he was excited to reach a fifth semi-final at Roland Garros, Zverev replied: “Not really. I don’t really care! I want to keep going, of course, I want to be in the tournament. I want to win the matches that are ahead of me.
“That’s my goal, that’s my aim, and today was a tough test. He’s a very good player. I managed, I won, I’m happy about being in the semi-finals for now, that’s it.”
Despite the straight sets victory, Zverev was full of praise for Jodar, who has been one of the stories of the Grand Slam at this year’s event.
“It was difficult,” said Zverev in his post-match interview. “He had a perfect rhythm in the first set and I didn’t. My balls were very short. I was very defensive.
“Again, conditions completely different. String tension is different, the way the ball reacts off the ground was completely different. The ball was not bouncing as high. Heavy top spin was not beneficial.
“I had to flatten my shots out a little bit more. He was playing amazing. He outplayed me at the beginning of the first set. I managed to come back, he played a nervous game when he served for it, and I took my chances well. After that, it was a good match for me.”
Zverev will not play now until Friday, where he will play either Fonseca or Mensik. The German plans to watch the night match to see his future opponent.
