Greek star breaks drought

NOVAK Djokovic’s victory sets up a final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who delivered a historic breakthrough performance, becoming the first Greek player to make a grand slam final, as he repelled a stirring Alexander Zverev fightback over five titanic sets at the French Open.

After three previous semifinal disappointments, it felt like Tsitsipas’s moment had truly arrived yesterday at Roland Garros as the 22-year-old outstayed one of his rivals to win 6-3 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3.

It left a drained, tearful Tsitsipas. ‘‘It was very difficult, very emotional,’’ he told AAP.

‘‘I went through a lot of phases of emotional breakdowns, but this win means a lot, the most important one of my career so far.

‘‘All I can think of is my roots, where I came from, a really small place outside Athens. My dream was to play in a big stadium at the French Open one day, but I never thought I could.

‘‘A lot of people today were raising flags, cheering me on.’’