Alexander Zverev showcased his dominance on clay as he powered past Alex de Minaur 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the French Open semifinals for the fourth year in a row.
Dominant Performance
The German fourth seed, who finished runner-up in 2020 and was a semifinalist in the past two years, broke de Minaur's serve early in the first set and never looked back. Zverev's powerful groundstrokes and consistent serving proved too much for the Australian 11th seed.
De Minaur, who had won their only previous meeting on clay in Madrid last month, struggled to find his rhythm against Zverev's aggressive baseline play. The German saved all three break points he faced throughout the match.
Key Moments
The second set proved crucial as Zverev edged a tightly contested tiebreak 7-5 after de Minaur had fought back from a break down. The Australian pushed hard in the third set, but Zverev held firm, breaking for a 5-4 lead before serving out the match.
Zverev finished with 42 winners and just 23 unforced errors, highlighting his controlled aggression. He will now face either Casper Ruud or Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
This victory continues Zverev's impressive run at Roland Garros, where he has now reached at least the semifinals in four consecutive editions. The 27-year-old is still seeking his first Grand Slam title after coming close in 2020 when he lost to Dominic Thiem in a five-set final.
