Alcaraz boasts two Grand Slam titles, while Sinner clinched his first major at the Australian Open in January.
Alcaraz labels his upcoming French Open semi-final against Jannik Sinner as the match “everybody wants to watch.” Following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal, Alcaraz and Sinner emerge as the highest-ranked players left in the men’s singles draw. Sinner will ascend to the new world number one on Monday and currently boasts a 12-match Grand Slam winning streak this year, having claimed his first major at January’s Australian Open. “I love these kinds of matches. I love this kind of challenge, to have a really difficult battle against him,” says Spain’s Alcaraz.
The semi-final showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner is scheduled on Court Philippe Chatrier, starting at 13:30 BST. In the second semi-final, Alexander Zverev will face Casper Ruud. Regardless of Thursday’s results, the tournament will crown a new French Open champion on Sunday. This year marks the first time since 2004 that none of the ‘Big Three’ are in the Roland Garros final. Neither Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, nor Novak Djokovic will compete for the title.
Alcaraz, winner of Wimbledon and Sinner, champion of the Australian Open, have established themselves as potential successors to the ‘Big Three’ with their Grand Slam victories over the past year. Despite injury issues leading up to the French Open, both players have reached the semi-finals with ease, each dropping just one set. Alcaraz, seeded third and a 2022 US Open champion, won the pair’s most recent encounter at Indian Wells, evening their head-to-head record at 4-4.
However, Sinner, with only one clay-court ATP Tour title to his name compared to Alcaraz’s seven, faces a tougher challenge. Despite this, Alcaraz, 21, acknowledges the difficulty of facing Sinner, calling him “the best player in the world.” “Everything he does, he does it perfectly,” says Alcaraz of his 22-year-old opponent. “He probably is one of the most difficult challenges that we can face in tennis right now.”
On the other hand, Grand Slam success has been elusive for both Zverev and Ruud. Zverev, from Germany, lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets. He has also been defeated in all three of his previous semi-final appearances in Paris. Norway’s Ruud, the seventh seed, has lost in straight sets in the last two French Open finals to Nadal and Djokovic.
Ruud beat Zverev in last year’s semi-final. Having received a walkover in the quarter-finals due to Djokovic’s withdrawal, he’ll likely be fresher for their rematch. Fourth seed Zverev has spent nearly 17 hours on court, four hours more than Ruud. “I’ve played a total of eight-and-a-half hours over the last three days, so I need to recover,” says Zverev after his straight-set victory over Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals.
During the French Open, Zverev faces an ongoing trial in Berlin over domestic abuse allegations. The 27-year-old has denied the claims.
Chinese swimmers competing in the Paris Olympic Games will undergo double the standard drug testing,…
England once again fell short in their quest for a major trophy, losing 2-1 to…
Kevin Sinfield, who initially planned to leave his coaching role with the England team after…
Hwang Hee-chan allegedly faced a racist remark from a Como player during a pre-season friendly…