French Open: Alcaraz beats Tsitsipas to set semifinal showdown with Sinner

Paris, June 5 (IANS) Third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the semifinals of the French Open for the second consecutive year with a 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4 win over ninth seed and 2021 Roland-Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The 21-year-old Spaniard kept his perfect head-to-head record with Tsitsipas intact with the win, improving to 6-0 all-time against the Greek. Since a five-set thriller between the two at the 2021 US Open, Alcaraz has lost just one set all-time in the match-up.

Alcaraz broke serve to start the match and never trailed in the first two sets. He surrendered just four points on his serve in the opener and accumulated a 6-3, 4-1 lead in just about an hour of play.

For a brief moment, Tsitsipas found a spark and levelled the set by winning three straight games. But three errors form Greek and two winners from Alcaraz gave the Spaniard a 5-1 cushion and in just an hour and a half on court the two-time Grand Slam champion pocketed two sets.

In the third set, Tsitsipas lost his 30-0 lead in the seventh game due to errors and double faults. Alcaraz almost lost the final game after missing two forehands, but he recovered with three successful returns and a forehand winner, securing his place in the semi-finals against Sinner.

“I think it was a really good match. I played great. I think there weren’t up and downs in my game. I controlled very well my emotions, myself on the court. I was really calm in the moments I had to be and I’m really happy with the way that I managed everything, the way that I played and to play a semifinal here again in Roland-Garros.”," said Alcaraz after the match.

Alcaraz set up a tantalising final-four clash with the world No.1-in-waiting and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner after a quarterfinal win.

Alcaraz's head-to-head with his semifinal opponent is tied at 4-4. He won their most recent match, a three-setter on his way to this year's Indian Wells title, but Sinner has won both of their previous Grand Slam meetings at Wimbledon and the US Open, both in 2022, according to ATP.

When asked about his semifinal showdown against Sinner, he said "It’s a really difficult challenge. Right now, he’s the best player in the world, or the player who is playing the best tennis right now. What can I say about him? We’ve played great matches … high level, and I’m glad to have him in the tour at this level."

"Thanks to him, I push myself to be better, to be a better player, to give my 100 per cent every day, to wake up in the morning and want to improve my game to try to beat him.

"I love watching him play, as well. I’m ready to take that challenge. It is the match that everybody wants to watch, and I’m sure he’s going to show his best tennis – myself, as well, and we’re going to see who’s going to win," Alcaraz added.