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E-mail Xinhua, June 6, 2024
Alexander Zverev advanced to his fourth successive French Open semifinal with a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Australian 11th-seeded Alex de Minaur on Wednesday.
Fourth-seeded Zverev will face two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud on Friday for a place in Sunday's final, after the Norwegian received a walkover following Novak Djokovic's injury-enforced withdrawal.
Alexander Zverev hits a return during the men's singles quarterfinal match between Alexander Zverev of Germany and Alex de Minaur of Australia at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros, Paris, France, June 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)
Germany's Zverev extended his current winning streak to 11 matches, though he has never reached the final at Roland Garros.
"I'm happy to be in another semifinal. Hopefully, I can win one," said Zverev, who defeated 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in the first round of this year's tournament.
Zverev was defeated by Ruud in straight sets in the semifinal of the 2023 French Open.
The other men's semifinal on Friday features second-seeded Jannik Sinner against third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz. None of the four men left in the bracket has ever won the French Open, making this the first title match in Paris since 2004 without at least one of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer.
In the women's round, Mirra Andreeva became the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist in 27 years with a shock win over second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka.
The 17-year-old Andreeva fought back from a set down against Australian Open champion Sabalenka, who appeared to be hampered by illness, to win 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
The Russian is the youngest woman to reach the last four at a Slam event since Martina Hingis at the 1997 US Open and the youngest at Roland Garros since Hingis in the same year.
Andreeva's last-four opponent is also a surprising contender, as fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina was knocked out by Italy's Jasmine Paolini.
The 28-year-old Paolini reached her first major semifinal by defeating Rybakina 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
With Jannik Sinner advancing to the men's semifinal, this marks the first instance where both an Italian woman and an Italian man have reached the final four in the same Grand Slam tournament in a single year.
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