Tsitsipas to meet Zverev, both looking for big leap
PARIS — Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev both have been viewed as potential stars of tennis. Both have come close to Grand Slam titles.
Now, the two 20somethings will meet for a berth in the French Open final after straightset quarterfinal victories Tuesday.
Tsitsipas, seeded fifth, reached his fourth major semifinal — and second in a row at Roland Garros — by upending No. 2 Daniil Medvedev 63, 76 (3), 75 at Court Philippe Chatrier in the last nospectator night session of this year’s tournament.
Tsitsipas escaped two set points held by Medvedev, a twotime Slam runnerup, at 54 in the second, but otherwise required only slightly more work than was demanded of Zverev in his 64, 61, 61 victory over unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
That put Zverev, the sixth seed, in his third Slam semifinal, first in Paris.
Tsitsipas is a 22yearold from Greece. Zverev is a 24yearold from Germany. Both have won Masters 1000 titles on red clay this year. Both have won the seasonending ATP Finals. Both intend to — and, truthfully, are expected to — claim one of the four biggest prizes in their sport.
“Look, it’s fairly obvious that all tennis players are playing tennis for the Slams,” said Zverev, the runnerup to good pal Dominic Thiem at last year’s U.S. Open. “Obviously, the Grand Slams are the tournaments that we want to win the most. Before, maybe, the last few years, I was putting too much pressure on myself. … Before Medvedev and Tsitsipas arrived, I was seen as this guy that was going to all of a sudden take over the tennis world.
“I was putting pressure on myself, as well. I was not very patient with myself, which I feel like now, maybe, I learned how to deal with the situation a little bit better.”