JABAR EKSPRES – Casper Ruud will face Novak Djokovic in the French Open final after beating Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals at Roland Garros on Friday local time.
Ruud beat Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 to reach his third Grand Slam final in his last five tournaments.
“I just went there and tried to play without thinking too much, tried to play without pressure, and played really well today,” Ruud said, as broadcast by AFP, Saturday.
He finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros 2022 and then lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final.
Ruud, aged 24 year, broke Zverev’s serve six times as the German had to end up in the semifinals for the third time in a row.
Ruud has had a challenging year and arrives in Paris with a disappointing win-loss record of 16-11.
“I didn’t come to Roland Garros thinking I was the favorite to reach the final. It’s been a really fun two weeks in Paris and hopefully the third time can be the charm for me,” said Ruud, whose clay-court wins are her most since 2020.
World number four Ruud has never won a set against Djokovic in four meetings, although this will be their first match at a major tournament.
For Zverev, the semifinal loss was another bitter finish on the same court where he suffered an ankle ligament injury in the semifinal against Nadal 12 months ago.
Meanwhile, Djokovic reached the final in Paris for the seventh time, and 34th time at a Grand Slam, with a four-set victory over a cramped Carlos Alcaraz.
Victory in Sunday’s final would give Djokovic a record-breaking 23rd major title for men’s tennis and make him the only man to win all four Grand Slams on at least three occasions.
