He extinguished the phenomenon. Alexander Zverev, third in the ATP rankings, beat Carlos Alcaraz (6th in the world) on Tuesday May 31 in the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros (6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 [9-7]). In four sets and 3:18 of play, the German put an end to the craze that surrounded the young 19-year-old Spaniard throughout the fortnight. More effective in the exchange and with the experience of this kind of meeting, Zverev took his revenge in the final of the Masters 1000 in Madrid where Alcaraz had then struck down (6-3, 6-1).
With this victory, undoubtedly the most successful for Zverev at Roland-Garros, the native of Hamburg gives himself the right to challenge in the semi-finals the winner of the long-awaited match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Back in the final 4️⃣@AlexZverev defeats Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) to advance to his second successive semi-final in Paris.#Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/dajAihyAOP
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022
“I was very scared not to finish (laughs). I knew I had to play the best I could, concentrate and not give him a chance. I’m glad I didn’t have to play five sets again [comme contre Sebastian Baez au deuxième tour]“spoke, all smiles on the court, Alexander Zverev after his success.
Lhe two men already know each other well, it was their fourth confrontation. Alexander Zverev seems to have the solutions against Carlos Alcaraz since it is his third victory. At Roland-Garros, during this quarter-final, Zverev played his part perfectly, despite the awakening of the Spaniard from the third set.
And in this recital, the world No. 3 was able to count on his two major instruments: his serve and his backhand. With an impressive 76% first-ball winning percentage and zero backhand unforced errors in the first two sets, the German was surgical. But now, the disc jammed at the end of the third set with this break point missed at 4-4. Alcaraz then broke it and took the lead before the Hamburg symphony found its rhythm.
In a breathtaking end to the match, and a deafening din in front of an audience chaining songs in favor of his opponent, the artist held firm. Zverev had the chance to prevail on his serve at 5-4, but Alcaraz broke. It was in a decisive tie-break that the German showed his composure. After a first missed match point, he symbolically, of a last winning reverse, delivered the coup de grace to his opponent.