While third seed Carlos Alcaraz entered the French Open final for the first time in his career, the fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev made it to his second Grand Slam final. Both notched up hard-fought victories at the Roland Garros men's singles semi-finals on Friday, June 7. (Full Coverage | Tennis News)
That, and much more in our recap of Day 13 at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz Prevails Over 'New No. 1' Sinner
In an eagerly awaited match-up between the two touted as potential successors to the 'Big Four' in men's tennis, Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in an intense five-set clash. Sinner, who will replace Novak Djokovic as the new world number 1 on June 10, had entered the semi-finals with a 13-0 record in Grand Slam play in 2024, having won the Australian Open in January.
Zverev Battles Past Ruud
Alexander Zverev forged a hard-fought 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 7 Casper Ruud of Norway to enter his maiden French Open final. Ruud had progressed with a bye after Novak Djokovic's injury withdrawal, but felt unwell three games into the third set, and left the court after going 2-1 down in a bid to recompose himself. Zverev then capitalized and won the fourth set with ease to set up a final showdown against Alcaraz.
Hours before his semifinal win, Zverev's domestic abuse case in Berlin ended, as he reached an out-of-court settlement with his accuser, a former girlfriend. A reporter tried to follow up on the topic, but Zverev curtly responded: “We move on. I never, ever want to hear another question about the subject again. That goes out to everybody.”
Paolini To Play Finals On Back-To-Back Days
After advancing to the women's singles final, Jasmine Paolini also booked a spot in the women's doubles final alongside Sara Errani. The Italian pairing beat Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 and will face Coco Gauff and Katerina Siniakova in the title clash on Sunday.
But before that, the world number 15 has her task cut out against the top-ranked, defending champion Iga Swiatek in the singles summit meeting. Swiatek is Swiatek is gunning a third straight title at Roland Garros, while Paolini will play in her first grand slam singles final.
French Open Day 13 Key Results
Carlos Alcaraz (3) beat Jannik Sinner (2), 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Alexander Zverev (4) beat Casper Ruud (7), 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2
