Alexander Zverev dominates Casper Ruud and joins Carlos Alcaraz for a novice final

The German was more durable than the outgoing double finalist, completely unrecognizable on Friday despite a very good start to the match.

The 2024 Roland-Garros final will be completely new. A few hours after Carlos Alcaraz qualified, Alexander Zverev joined him by dominating outgoing finalist Casper Ruud on Friday June 7. Outclassed in the first set, the German did not panic and reversed the course of the match to win in four sets (2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2) and 2h35 He will try to win the first Grand Slam title of his career on Sunday, four years after an unfortunate experience against Dominic Thiem in the final of the 2020 US Open which saw him come within two points of the coronation.

Facing Ruud, he had revenge to take, a year after suffering a correction at the same stage of the tournament (6-3, 6-4, 6-0) last year. “I knew I had to be more aggressive”, explained Zverev after his qualification on Friday evening. Opposite, the Norwegian, not the most media player on the circuit, moved forward once again no wolf, while the potential last Roland-Garros of Rafael Nadal or the abandonment of Novak Djokovic monopolized a large part of the media spotlight. The situation was ideal for him knowing that the Serb’s withdrawal exempted him from the quarter-finals, which allowed him to benefit from four full days of rest. Before the match, he displayed complete serenity in the corridors of the Philippe-Chatrier court, having fun practicing his swing, with his head on the golf course.

But this face gave way to a worried and closed expression after 40 minutes of play. After largely dominating the first set, Casper Ruud completely disappeared from the debates. Part of the explanation may be found in his taking medication at the start of the third set, presumably to relieve stomach aches. The other part lies in the awakening of Alexander Zverev, who knocked him out after finding his first serve ball.

The latter very quickly erased his ineffectiveness from the first round in this sector (44% of first balls, 63% of points won on them). Over the next three sets combined, he only left 4 points on his first ball (4/47, or 91.5% of points won on first ball) while displaying 75% first serve. The German finished the match with no less than 19 aces and a total of seven white games. He didn’t have to show much more to dominate a Casper Ruud clearly below his usual level.

“I wasn’t ready, not mature enough, I was still a child. That’s why I lost. I’m 27, I’m much more experienced today.”

Alexander Zverev

on his lost final at the 2020 US Open

This victory is particularly important for Alexander Zverev who had been eliminated in each of his last five Grand Slam semi-finals. The world No. 4 survived a rocky road, meeting Rafael Nadal in the first round and having to go through two five-set matches to beat Holger Rune and Tallon Griekspoor. On Sunday, another marathon awaits him against Carlos Alcaraz, an opponent he will face for the 10th time in his career and against whom he has a balanced record (5 wins for 4 losses).