Zverev achieves milestone as he overcomes Davidovich Fokina to reach first French Open SF

Alexander Zverev moved through the gears in a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday to reach his first French Open semi-final. The German won an erratic opening set despite twice being down a break, and being broken three times in total. He will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open men's singles semi-final on Thursday. 

French Open men's singles: Zverev vs Davidovich Fokina report

Alexander Zverev routed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the French Open for the first time. After a rather shaky start to the match, the sixth seed prevailed 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 against the world No. 46 in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. It was his third appearance at the French Open quarterfinals. 

Zverev broke his 22-year-old opponent four times in the first set, including when the Spaniard served to stay in the set at 5-4 behind. The 24-year-old then cruised through the second set in just 25 minutes after breaking twice and not facing a break point on serve. Zverev continued his dominance as he stormed through the third set with three breaks of serve to claim victory.

Following his win, Zverev expressed his delight at reaching the semifinals of the French Open. He said, "It’s very nice to be in the semi-finals but just being here doesn’t satisfy me. I know I’m playing pretty okay and I hope I can continue playing the same way, maybe even better,"

“After the first set, I think my baseline game improved a lot. I started dominating the points much more. In the beginning, I didn’t think I played that well. So, I think I can play better hopefully.” added Zverev.

Alexander Zverev record at Grand Slams

Zverev reached his first Grand Slam final at last year’s US Open and lost to Dominic Thiem in five sets. The 24-year-old also played in the semifinals at the 2020 Australian Open. He is yet to win a Grand Slam

Alexander Zverev height: How tall is Alexander Zverev? 

The German's height is listed as six-foot-six and weighs in at 90 kgs (190 lbs).

French Open 2021 semi-final lineup

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Tuesday to stay on track for a first Grand Slam final at the French Open. He will now face Alexander Zverev in the first semi-final.

Rafael Nadal and Diego Schwartzman will square off in a quarter-final later on Wednesday. Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Matteo Berrettini in the other quarter-final. The winner from each game will advance to the semi-final. 

 

Image Credits - Alexander Zverev Instagram