ROLAND GARROS. Men´s Singles. By Leo Canaparo
German star Alexander Zverev (No. 2), still chasing the first Grand Slam title of his career, advanced to the Roland Garros semifinals after defeating Spain’s Rafael Jódar (No. 27) in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-3, in two hours and 25 minutes.
The match began in a very difficult way for Zverev, as Jódar came out firing at an extremely high level, earning an early break and building a 5-2 lead in the opening set. However, the German reacted just in time, recovering the break and forcing a tie-break, where he took full control to win it comfortably 7-3 after more than an hour of play.
In the second set, Zverev imposed his game from the very beginning against a visibly frustrated Jódar, who appeared affected by the missed opportunity in the opener. The world No. 3, seeded second at this year’s Roland Garros following the withdrawal of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, cruised through the set 6-1 and began to take full command of the contest.