Tag: French Open

Poland’s Iga Swiatek extended her French Open reign on Saturday as she thrashed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 in the final to win a third successive Roland Garros title.

World number one Swiatek dominated Italian 12th seed Paolini, a first-time Grand Slam finalist, needing just 68 minutes to capture a fourth crown in five years in Paris.

Swiatek has now won all five Grand Slam finals she has contested. Her other victory came at the 2022 US Open.

She is the fourth woman in the Open era to lift the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen four times — after Justine Henin, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf.

“It’s amazing to be here. I love this place. I wait every year to come back,” said Swiatek, who clicked into gear after saving a match point against Naomi Osaka in the second round.

“I was almost out of the tournament,” she said. “I also needed to believe this one is going to be possible, it’s been a really emotional tournament.”

Iga Swiatek becomes only the third woman to win the tournament three years running. Henin, in 2005-07, was the last to do so. Monica Seles also achieved the feat as a teenager at the start of the 1990s.

At 23, her four French Open titles is the same number Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time men’s champion, had at the same age.

For the 28-year-old Paolini it was a sorry conclusion, at least in singles, to an otherwise brilliant fortnight in the French capital.

The world number 15 had won a total of four matches in 16 Grand Slam appearances before advancing to the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.

While she fell short of emulating compatriot Francesca Schiavone, who won the 2010 French Open, Paolini could yet finish on a winning note with her and doubles partner Sara Errani through to Sunday’s final.

“I have to say congratulations to you, Iga,” said Paolini. “I think to play you here is the toughest challenge in this sport.”

“It was tough, but it was lots of fun,” she added.

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Paolini’s transformation this season into a player capable of challenging for the biggest prizes stemmed in part from quashing the mindset she needed “a miracle” to beat the best in the sport.

Yet the odds were heavily stacked against her going into the final, with Iga Swiatek unbeaten at French Open since a 2021 quarter-final loss to Maria Sakkari.

Riding a 20-match winning streak in Paris, and a winner of 18 straight matches this year after titles in Madrid and Rome, Swiatek quickly set about her business.

She powered an ace to hold in the opening game and had Paolini backpedalling down break point, but the Italian ground out a gutsy hold and then broke Swiatek when the Pole flayed a forehand long.

That triggered a searing riposte from Iga Swiatek, who broke to love to get back on serve and then surged 4-2 in front after Jasmine Paolini coughed up a costly double-fault.

“I got broken at the beginning, so it wasn’t maybe perfect, but I think the level was pretty high,” said Swiatek.

She had her opponent constantly scurrying around the court and the errors began to stack up for Paolini, who conceded the first set with a weak groundstroke into the net.

With Swiatek firmly in the ascendancy, Paolini looked lost for answers as the top seed oozed confidence and repeatedly took control of the rallies.

Had it not been for an astonishing recovery against Osaka in the second round, Iga Swiatek would have suffered her earliest exit at the French Open.

Instead, that fright served to ignite her title aspirations, reigning Wimbledon and US Open champions — Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff — in particular powerless to stop the Swiatek offensive.

Iga Swiatek had difficulty putting away Karolina Muchova last year when heavily fancied, but there was no such trouble 12 months on as the Pole dismantled Jasmine Paolini to underline her burgeoning status as the ‘Queen of Clay’.

The three games won by Paolini were the fewest in the final here since Henin obliterated Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-2 in 2007, which also coincided with the Belgian’s fourth Roland Garros title in five years.

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Carlos Alcaraz beat incoming world number one Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to reach the French Open final and continue his bid for a third Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz, 21, will play fourth seed Alexander Zverev or two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud on Sunday after becoming the youngest man to reach Grand Slam finals on all three surfaces.

“It’s one of the toughest matches I’ve played for sure,” said Alcaraz.

“The toughest I’ve played in my short career have been against Jannik. I hope to play many, many more like this.”

“You have to find the joy in suffering,” the Spaniard added.

Alcaraz has won both of his two previous major finals — at Wimbledon last year and the 2022 US Open. Victory on Sunday would see him head to the Australian Open next January seeking a career Grand Slam.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner arrived in Paris under an injury cloud, gradually finding their best level over the course of the tournament to set up a meeting billed as the match “everybody wants to see”.

The ninth chapter of an enthralling rivalry destined to shape the future of the sport was the youngest Grand Slam semi-final pairing since Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal at the 2008 US Open.

It was their first Grand Slam meeting since a spectacular five-set quarter-final two years ago in New York, and while perhaps not as exhilarating this one was no less gripping.

Carlos Alcaraz, who was hampered badly by cramp in last year’s semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic, had said that playing Jack Sinner was like running a marathon, and it was the Spaniard doing much of the chasing early.

Sinner pinned Alcaraz on the back foot straight away as he broke in the very first game, blending impenetrable defence with searing groundstrokes as he went on the attack.

After holding with ease the Australian Open champion belted a forehand winner for another break opportunity in the third game, sweeping 3-0 in front following an Alcaraz miscue.

Alcaraz finally got on the board in the fifth game before retrieving a break, but he handed it right back and Sinner bagged the first set when the Spaniard dumped a drop-shot into the net.

Jack Sinner began the second set in identical fashion, earning another break after a loose Carlos Alcaraz service game and consolidating for a 2-0 edge on a picture-perfect day in Paris.

Alcaraz belatedly spluttered into life though as Sinner struggled to maintain his sky-high standards from the opening set and presented his rival three break points with a double-fault.

A brilliant cross-court winner hauled Alcaraz back on serve, with the Spaniard soon accelerating 5-2 ahead following another break as Sinner sprayed his forehand wide.

Sinner temporarily slowed the Alcaraz charge, ending his five-game winning stretch, but the third seed levelled up the match the next game.

The early onslaught from Sinner felt a distant memory as Alcaraz pounced to break for a 2-1 lead in the third set, flicking a sublime backhand passing shot beyond a powerless Sinner.

Yet the momentum was quickly back with Sinner.

He ripped a blistering one-two combination of forehands to get back on serve and then resisted four break points in a lengthy fifth game before holding for 3-2.

Sinner received a massage from the physio for apparent cramp in his right forearm, but he brushed off any physical issue as he hammered a backhand return past Alcaraz to break again.

A tame Alcaraz forehand into the net handed Sinner the third set. A sense of calmness enveloped the fourth, with not a single break point on offer until a sizzling Alcaraz backhand brought about a set point.

He didn’t flinch and sent the match to a decider with a winner into the open court.

Alcaraz’s approach to grind Sinner down coupled with timely shotmaking allowed him to strike the critical blow in the second game of the fifth set.

Sinner, while visibly flagging more than his re-energised rival, did not go down without a fight, but Alcaraz finally put him away after four hours of another seismic showdown.

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Novak Djokovic said he doesn’t know if he will be fit for his French Open quarter-final after injuring his knee in a five-set win over Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.

The world number one outlasted Argentine 23rd seed Cerundolo 6-1, 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 for his record 370th win in a Grand Slam match as he reached a 15th consecutive French Open quarter-final.

The world number one is due to play Casper Ruud on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals. Whether he takes to the court against Casper Ruud, the player he defeated in last year’s Roland Garros final, remains to be seen after Djokovic said he would undergo medical tests to determine to extent of the damage to his right knee.

“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or after tomorrow if I’ll be able to step out on the court and play. You know, I hope so. Let’s see what happens,” said Djokovic.

“I guess we’ll do some more screening and tests and checkups tomorrow, as well. We have done some with doctor right now after the match. Some positive news but also some maybe concerns, so let’s see tomorrow.”

After a four-hour, 29-minute win over Lorenzo Musetti that ended at 3:07am on Sunday morning in the previous round, the 37-year-old Djokovic was again tested to his physical limits while being impeded by a balky knee.

The Serbian rolled through the opening set but a slip in the third game of the second led to Djokovic taking a medical timeout, and he repeatedly received treatment at subsequent changeovers.

“I started feeling the pain and asked for the physio treatment and the medical timeout and tried to take care of it. It did disrupt me definitely in play,” said Djokovic.

Cerundolo, attempting to reach his first quarter-final at a major, threatened to spring an upset as he capitalised on Djokovic’s discomfort to move two sets to one in front.

The Serbian had already complained about the state of the clay in his match against Musetti, calling for it to be swept at more regular intervals.

He again took aim at the court for “screwing up” his knee and looked to be heading for his earliest French Open exit since 2009 when Cerundolo surged 4-2 ahead in the fourth set.

As he has done countless times, Djokovic displayed his immense powers of recovery to retrieve the break of serve, holding his own in the next game before unleashing a bellowing roar to whip up a crowd that sensed the three-time French Open winner was not done just yet.

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“At one point I didn’t know, to be honest, whether I should continue or not with what’s happening,” said Djokovic.

“I got the medications, and then after the third set was done, I asked for more medications, and I got them.

“That was the maximum dose that kicked in, as I heard now from doctor after 30 to 45 minutes, which was just about the time kind of end of the fourth when things started to really improve for me.”

Djokovic saved a break point to nudge 6-5 ahead and Cerundolo eventually was the first to blink, the top seed capitalising on a fourth set point to force a decider.

It felt almost inevitable Djokovic pinched a break to open the fifth set. Cerundolo did not go away though, scrambling his way back on serve before Djokovic again vented his ire at the court conditions after an awkward tumble.

“Well done, supervisor and everybody,” he said sarcastically. “Not slippery at all.”

An attempted passing shot from Cerundolo had Djokovic at full stretch doing the splits, an indicator of the tremendous quality still produced from both players despite a gruelling battle that spanned four hours and 39 minutes.

Djokovic pounced on his opportunity when it arrived in the eighth game, ripping a forehand winner that clipped the baseline to earn the vital break before he sealed another incredible victory.

“Basically the whole fifth set was almost without any pain, which is great, you know. But then the effect of the medications will not last for too long, so I’ll see,” said Djokovic.

For Cerundolo, so close to the biggest win of his career, it was an agonising reminder of Djokovic’s enduring greatness.

“He always finds a way to come back and play his best tennis at the toughest moments and at the end of every match,” said Cerundolo.

“I did my best. I was so close, but I couldn’t win it. He show again why he’s the best.”

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Rafael Nadal’s record-breaking French Open career came to its likely end on Monday when the 14-time champion slumped to a demoralising first-round defeat against Alexander Zverev.

Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3, went down 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to world number four Zverev, suffering only his fourth loss in 116 matches at Roland Garros since his 2005 title-winning debut.

It was the first time he had been defeated in Paris in the opening round and will again lead to questions over his long-term future in the sport.

“I don’t know if this is the last time I will be here, I am not 100% sure but if it is then I wanted to enjoy it,” said Nadal.

“The feelings today are difficult to describe in words.”

Plagued by injuries, which had limited him to just four events since January last year, former world number one Nadal is now 275 in the rankings and was unseeded in Paris.

However, he insisted on the eve of the tournament that he was “100% keeping the door open” on his future in a sport which has brought him 22 Grand Slam titles.

In a repeat of the 2022 French Open semi-final, which Rafael Nadal won when Zverev quit with ankle ligament damage, the Spaniard had his chances.

He was a break of serve up in the second and third sets, only to be pinned back on both occasions by his in-form 27-year-old opponent.

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Chants of “Rafa, Rafa” had loudly echoed under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier which was shut tight against the torrential rain sweeping across the grounds and bringing havoc to the schedule.

They subsided to silence when Nadal was broken to love in his opening service game and he was left to regret his inability to convert two break points in the fourth game.

Rafael Nadal saved two set points in the ninth game but surrendered the opener after 50 minutes when he buried a loose forehand into the net.

It was only the fourth opening set he had lost at Roland Garros.

Nadal broke for the first time in the match to lead 3-2 in the second set but couldn’t back up the advantage and handed the break back to three-time semi-finalist Zverev as he served for the set.

A tense tie-breaker followed which the German claimed, buoyed by stretching to 5/3 on the back of a gruelling 19-shot rally.

Nadal dug deep and with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek having watched from the packed stands, he broke and held for 2-0 in the third set.

However, Zverev again roared back to level at 2-2 before a besieged Nadal had to save four break points in a 13-minute fifth game to stay in contention.

The effort was too much and a composed Zverev was soon 4-3 up and the match was over when Rafael Nadal fired a forehand wide and long.

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World number one Novak Djokovic fell to 44th-ranked Czech Tomas Machac, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1, in the semi-finals in Geneva on Friday ahead of his French Open title defence.

Djokovic, 37, took a wild card to the Swiss clay-court tournament in a bid to reverse an alarming dip in form ahead of Roland Garros where the 24-time Grand Slam champion has won three times.

“I have no reaction right now, I just fought for every ball,” said 23-year-old Machac.

“When you play against Novak you just hope. You just try to play your best and see what it looks like.”

Novak Djokovic, bidding to reach his first final of the season, received a medical timeout at the end of the first set.

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The Serb will head to Roland Garros where he faces Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the first round having won no titles this year.

Machac, competing in his maiden tour-level semi-final, rallied from a break down in the first set and after failing to win a game in the second powered back in the third set.

“I’m looking forward to playing in a final for the first time,” said Machac who will face two-time champion Casper Ruud or Italian Flavio Cobolli in the title match on Saturday.

Ruud, the world number seven, was the runner-up in the last two French Open finals, including a defeat to Novak Djokovic last year.

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Rafael Nadal was drawn to face world number four Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster opening match at his farewell French Open tournament on Thursday.

Defending men’s champion and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will face French veteran Pierre Hugues-Herbert in his opener.

Nadal, who has won Roland Garros on 14 occasions, is unseeded after injury saw his ranking plummet to 276.

He and Zverev met in the semi-finals in 2022 when the German was forced to retire after suffering a serious ankle injury.

Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, will turn 38 next week and this season will be his last on tour.

He holds a 7-3 winning head-to-head record against Germany’s Zverev with five of those victories coming on clay.

Zverev, 27, arrives in Paris on the back of lifting the Rome Open title last weekend.

“I’m going to play the French Open thinking that I can give my all, 100 per cent,” said Rafael Nadal after a second round exit in Rome last week.

As well as 14 titles in Paris, Nadal can boast a record of 112 wins and just three losses, two of which came against Djokovic who will be chasing a fourth French Open title.

“I imagine that looking at the draw, Nadal is not going to be delighted,” said French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.

“Zverev is in very good shape, obviously it looks very complicated. But Nadal is a warrior, an extraordinary competitor. It’s Rafa so anything is possible.”

Djokovic turned 37 on Wednesday and marked the occasion by winning the 1,100th match of his career in Geneva.

The Serb has yet to win a title in 2024 with runs to the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters his best performances.

Following Thursday’s draw, Djokovic is seeded to face Zverev in the semi-finals.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who took Djokovic’s Australian Open title in January, faces Christopher Eubanks of the United States.

Third-seeded Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2023, plays a qualifier.

Sinner and Alcaraz are seeded to meet in the semi-finals but both men have been suffering from injuries which forced them to skip the Rome event.

Andy Murray, the 2016 runner-up, is also competing at the tournament for the final time.

The 37-year-old tackles 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, 39, in a battle of grizzled Grand Slam veterans.

The pair have met 22 times in a two-decade rivalry with Murray boasting a 13-9 edge.

Three of those clashes have come at Roland Garros with Murray winning in the semi-finals in 2016 while the Swiss came out on top in the last-four in 2017 and first round in 2020.

In the women’s draw, top seed and world number one Swiatek will take on a qualifier with Osaka facing Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in their openers before a potential second round clash.

Swiatek is bidding to win a fifth major and fourth French Open title.

“It feels like home here,” said Swiatek who arrives at the tournament with clay-court titles in Madrid and Rome under her belt.

Former world number one Osaka, now ranked 134, has never got past the third round in Paris. Bronzetti, the world number 48, has yet to win a main draw in two visits.

Osaka, 26, has endured a bittersweet relationship with the French Open.

In 2021, she was fined for opting out of mandatory media commitments before withdrawing from the competition after just one match insisting she was protecting her mental health.

Osaka missed the 2023 edition due to being pregnant before giving birth to a baby girl in July.

Swiatek, meanwhile, is bidding to become the first player to lift three successive women’s titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka starts against 101-ranked Erika Andreeva of Russia.

Third seed and US Open champion Coco Gauff faces a qualifier in the first round and is seeded to face Swiatek in the semi-finals.

Double Australian Open champion Sabalenka is seeded to take on former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the last four.

Defending men’s champion and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will face French veteran Pierre Hugues-Herbert in his opener.

Rafael Nadal, who has won Roland Garros on 14 occasions, is unseeded after injury saw his ranking plummet to 276.

He and Zverev met in the semi-finals in 2022 when the German was forced to retire after suffering a serious ankle injury.

Rafael Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, will turn 38 next week and this season will be his last on tour.

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He holds a 7-3 winning head-to-head record against Germany’s Zverev with five of those victories coming on clay.

Zverev, 27, arrives in Paris on the back of lifting the Rome Open title last weekend.

“I’m going to play the French Open thinking that I can give my all, 100 per cent,” said Nadal after a second round exit in Rome last week.

As well as 14 titles in Paris, Nadal can boast a record of 112 wins and just three losses, two of which came against Djokovic who will be chasing a fourth French Open title.

“I imagine that looking at the draw, Nadal is not going to be delighted,” said French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.

“Zverev is in very good shape, obviously it looks very complicated. But Nadal is a warrior, an extraordinary competitor. It’s Rafa so anything is possible.”

Djokovic turned 37 on Wednesday and marked the occasion by winning the 1,100th match of his career in Geneva.

The Serb has yet to win a title in 2024 with runs to the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo Masters his best performances.

Following Thursday’s draw, Djokovic is seeded to face Zverev in the semi-finals.

World number two Jannik Sinner, who took Djokovic’s Australian Open title in January, faces Christopher Eubanks of the United States.

Third-seeded Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, a semi-finalist in Paris in 2023, plays a qualifier.

Sinner and Alcaraz are seeded to meet in the semi-finals but both men have been suffering from injuries which forced them to skip the Rome event.

Andy Murray, the 2016 runner-up, is also competing at the tournament for the final time.

The 37-year-old tackles 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, 39, in a battle of grizzled Grand Slam veterans.

The pair have met 22 times in a two-decade rivalry with Murray boasting a 13-9 edge.

Three of those clashes have come at Roland Garros with Murray winning in the semi-finals in 2016 while the Swiss came out on top in the last-four in 2017 and first round in 2020.

In the women’s draw, top seed and world number one Iga Swiatek will take on a qualifier with Osaka facing Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in their openers before a potential second-round clash.

Swiatek is bidding to win a fifth major and fourth French Open title.

“It feels like home here,” said Swiatek who arrives at the tournament with clay-court titles in Madrid and Rome under her belt.

Former world number one Osaka, now ranked 134, has never got past the third round in Paris. Bronzetti, the world number 48, has yet to win a main draw in two visits.

Osaka, 26, has endured a bittersweet relationship with the French Open.

In 2021, she was fined for opting out of mandatory media commitments before withdrawing from the competition after just one match insisting she was protecting her mental health.

Osaka missed the 2023 edition due to being pregnant before giving birth to a baby girl in July.

Swiatek, meanwhile, is bidding to become the first player to lift three successive women’s titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka starts against 101-ranked Erika Andreeva of Russia.

Third seed and US Open champion Coco Gauff faces a qualifier in the first round and is seeded to face Swiatek in the semi-finals.

Double Australian Open champion Sabalenka is seeded to take on former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina in the last four.

READ: Rafael Nadal falls to Hubert Hurkacz in Rome Open second round

Rafael Nadal will bring down the curtain on his 19-year French Open career with the likelihood of adding to his 14 titles greatly diminished before he leaves behind a record and reputation unlikely ever to be matched.

The great Spaniard, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, won his first title at Roland Garros as a teenager in 2005. A week on Monday, he will celebrate his 38th birthday.

A former world number one, who is now at 276 in the world, Nadal has only played 15 matches since January last year as a hip injury and then a muscle tear were added to a depressing history of physical ailments which have forced him to miss 12 Grand Slam tournaments in his career.

Whether or not the 2024 French Open becomes number 13 will soon become apparent as the draw for the event takes place on Thursday afternoon.

“I’m going to play the tournament thinking that I can give my all, 100 per cent,” explained Nadal after a second-round exit in Rome last week.

“And if 100 per cent is not enough to win a match, I’ll accept that. But I don’t want to step onto court knowing that I have no chance. If there’s a 0.01% chance, I want to explore that and give it a go.”

As well as 14 titles in Paris, Nadal can boast a record of 112 wins and just three losses, two of which came against career-long rival Novak Djokovic.

He is also held in remarkably high esteem.

At his first training session on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros on Monday an estimated 6,000 people turned up to watch, many chanting his name.

“We have to enjoy the time he has left on court, evaluate it, and be aware that it’s very unlikely that something like that will happen again,” said coach Carlos Moya during the recent Madrid Open.

“Personally, I’m never on court when he enters or leaves, but I am this year because I like seeing the love he gets from the people when he steps on court.

“He’s one of the great stars of this sport, he’s about to retire, and it’s really amazing to see that.”

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Nadal isn’t the only A-list talent under a Paris cloud ahead of the tournament starting on Sunday.

Defending champion and record 24-time Grand Slam title winner Djokovic, whose three titles in Paris put him alongside Gustavo Kuerten, Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl, is enduring a title dry spell unseen since 2018.

Back then, he also reached May without a trophy before crashing to a shock last-16 defeat at the French Open to unheralded Marco Cecchinato of Italy.

This season, Djokovic has lost his Australian Open title and has yet to make a final on tour.

Adding injury to insult, he was hit on the head by a falling water bottle in Rome, a freak accident which he claimed caused nausea and dizziness.

In an attempt to gather a degree of clay-court confidence ahead of the French Open, Djokovic, who turns 37 on Wednesday, grabbed a late wild card in the ongoing Geneva tournament.

Between them, Nadal and Djokovic have carved up the last eight French Open titles while 2009 was the last time a final at Roland Garros did not feature at least one of them.

World number two Jannik Sinner, the man who succeeded Djokovic as Australian Open champion, has been laid low by a hip injury which caused him to skip the Rome Open.

The 22-year-old Italian reached the quarter-finals of the French Open on his debut in 2020 where he was defeated by Nadal in straight sets.

Sinner has an extra incentive to progress deep in Paris as he could depose Djokovic as world number one.

Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon champion, also skipped Rome to nurse an arm injury.

The world number three took the first set off Djokovic in their semi-final last year before body cramps saw him slip to defeat.

The Spanish crowd-pleaser admitted that his sudden and dramatically diminished physical state was caused by the fear of facing Djokovic.

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Novak Djokovic reached his seventh French Open final in dramatic circumstances on Friday when world number one Carlos Alcaraz suffered “whole body” cramping and tension which torpedoed his challenge.

Novak Djokovic, 36, triumphed in their semi-final 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to become the oldest man in 93 years to reach the championship match where he will be bidding for a third French Open title and record-setting 23rd men’s Grand Slam crown.

The drama on Friday unfolded just as Djokovic had levelled the third set at 1-1 with the first two sets split but with Alcaraz seemingly in the ascendancy in the sweltering 33-degree Paris heat.

Carlos Alcaraz, 16 years Djokovic’s junior, pulled up clutching his right calf.

He forfeited his next service game because he sought treatment courtside before a scheduled change of ends and could not receive a medical timeout for cramping.

As boos and jeers rained down, Djokovic, playing in his 45th Grand Slam semi-final, swept the next five games to open a two sets to one lead.

Carlos Alcaraz left the court for a five-minute bathroom break but his physical limitations easily opened the door for Djokovic to coast into his 34th Grand Slam final, having wrapped up 10 of the last 11 games of the semi-final.

“Tough luck for Carlos, the last thing you want is cramping. I feel for him and hope he recovers and comes back very soon,” said 2016 and 2021 champion Djokovic.

“Respect for him in fighting until the end. I told him at the net that he is very young and he will win this many times.”

He added: “He was the better player in the second set. I knew I had to be more aggressive and then match and better his intensity.”

Novak Djokovic will face either 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev for a place in the French Open championship match where he will have the opportunity to become the first man to win all four Slam titles at least three times.

In just their second career meeting, and first, at a Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic made light of the age gap by breaking for a 3-1 lead, drawing Alcaraz out of position before topping off a rally with a cool backhand.

Carlos Alcaraz let slip three break points in the seventh game as his flamboyant all-court game collided head-on with Djokovic’s storied defensive wall.

In a see-saw conclusion to the first set, Alcaraz saved a set point in the eighth game and Djokovic thwarted another break point in the ninth before he pocketed the opener when the Spaniard pushed a service return wide.

Novak Djokovic required a medical timeout on his right wrist at 3-4 down in the second set and Alcaraz pounced, finally converting a break point at the sixth attempt for a 5-3 lead.

Djokovic hit back immediately as the 20-year-old Spaniard chose the wrong time to serve up his worst game of the match and a driving backhand down the line retrieved the break.

Djokovic saved three set points in the 10th game but undid the hard work in the 12th game as a wild forehand sailed long and Alcaraz levelled up the semi-final.

It was from that point that Alcaraz’s afternoon painfully unravelled.

“It was really tough for me to move at the third set, and in the fourth set let’s say I had a one percent chance,” said the US Open champion.

He admitted that facing Djokovic for the first time at a Grand Slam caused a unique tension which contributed to his physical ailment.

“The tension of the first set, the second set, it was really intense. Really good rallies, tough rallies, dropshots, sprints,” he explained.

“Novak is a legend of our sport. If someone says that he goes onto the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies. Of course playing a semi-final of a Grand Slam, you have a lot of nerves, but even more facing Novak. That’s the truth.”

The clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz overshadowed the other semi-final of the French Open between Ruud, runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2022, and Olympic champion Zverev who is in the last four for a third successive year.

Twelve months ago, Zverev suffered season-ending ankle ligament damage in his semi-final against Nadal.

“That was the most difficult year of my life,” said the 26-year-old German.

“I love playing tennis and the sport and competition were taken away from me. But I have been given a new chance and hopefully I can take advantage of it.”

Zverev leads Ruud 2-1 in their head-to-head match-ups but they have never met on clay.

That could prove significant as world number four Ruud boasts the best record on the surface since 2020 with 86 wins.

READ: Sloppy Australia stay on top in WTC final despite Jadeja’s double strike

Having battled through 59 encounters with Rafael Nadal over 16 years of epic rivalry, Novak Djokovic faces the Spanish legend’s heir apparent Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open in a match laced with era-defining potential.

Novak Djokovic will be playing a 45th Grand Slam semi-final on Friday; for Carlos Alcaraz, it will be just his second.

With Roger Federer retired and Nadal nursing a hip injury until next year, 36-year-old Djokovic has the responsibility of preserving the legacy of the ‘Big Three’.

“It’s definitely the biggest challenge for me,” said Novak Djokovic, chasing a third French Open title and men’s record 23rd Slam which would break the tie he currently shares with Nadal.

Friday’s showpiece will be the first time Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have met at a Grand Slam and only the second time in their careers.

Alcaraz, then still 19, defeated the Serb from a set down in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open last year, a day after he had knocked out Nadal on the faster, higher altitude courts of the Spanish capital.

He predicted then that the “sky’s the limit” and he wasn’t far wrong, claiming a maiden Slam title at the US Open and becoming the youngest world number one.

“He carries himself very well. Brings a lot of intensity on the court. Reminds me of someone from his country that plays with a left hand,” said Djokovic of a player who is 16 years his junior but already boasts the competitive DNA of Nadal.

Djokovic has 90 career wins at French Open and is playing his 11th semi-final.

When he made his tournament debut in 2005, Carlos Alcaraz was just two but despite the age gap, Djokovic is keen to measure himself against the Spaniard for the first time at a major.

“If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. He’s definitely a guy to beat here. I’m looking forward to that,” added Djokovic, bidding to reach a seventh final in the last eight majors in which he has played.

Carlos Alcaraz fell at the quarter-finals in Paris 12 months ago while Novak Djokovic’s run ended in the semi-finals at the hands of Nadal.

The Spaniard then lost in the last 16 at Wimbledon where Djokovic was crowned champion for a seventh time.

When Alacaraz swept to his maiden Slam in New York in September, the Serb was stranded at home, banned from entering the US because of his refusal to be vaccinated.

Hopes they would meet at the Australian Open, when Djokovic collected a 10th Melbourne title, were dashed when Alcaraz pulled out with a leg injury.

“Since the draw came out, everyone was expecting this semi-final against Novak, myself as well. Since last year I really wanted to play again against Novak,” said Alcaraz.

“We are both playing a great level. It’s his 45th semi-final of a Grand Slam; this is going be my second. I would say his experience is better, but I’m not going to think about that.”

Greek world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a close-up view of both men this year.

He lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final and was swept out of Roland Garros by Alcaraz in straight sets in the quarter-final.

“Djokovic has experience; Alcaraz has legs and moves like Speedy Gonzalez,” said Tsitsipas.

“Alcaraz can hit huge, super-big shots and Djokovic prefers control over anything else, probably control and precision, to apply pressure and just make the opponent move as much as possible.”

There is also Djokovic’s famous iron will — in the five tiebreaks he has played in Paris this year, he hasn’t committed a single unforced error.

The clash between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz has overshadowed Friday’s other semi-final between 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud and Olympic champion Alexander Zverev who is in the last four for a third successive year.

Twelve months ago, Zverev suffered season-ending ankle ligament damage in his semi-final against Nadal.

“That was the most difficult year of my life,” said the 26-year-old German.

“I love playing tennis and the sport and competition were taken away from me.”

Zverev leads Ruud 2-1 in their head-to-head match-ups but they have never met on clay.

That could prove significant as world number four Ruud boasts the best record on the surface since 2020 with 86 wins.

READ: Disqualified Japanese player Miyu Kato becomes French Open champion

Japan’s Miyu Kato became a French Open champion on Thursday, four days after she was controversially disqualified from the women’s doubles for accidentally hitting a ball girl.

Miyu Kato and her German partner Tim Puetz defeated Bianca Andreescu and Michael Venus 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 in the mixed doubles final at French Open.

“It has been challenging mentally in the last few days after my unjust disqualification from the women’s doubles,” Kato told the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd, reading from a prepared statement.

“Thanks to all the players for their heartfelt messages of support. I used that positive energy on court here today.

“I am now looking for a positive result to my appeal so I can reclaim my prize money, points and my reputation.”

Puetz said he hoped the title would help Miyu Kato after the drama of the default.

“I hope this is redemption for you after what happened. The support you received was well deserved.”

The 28-year-old Kato and her Indonesian teammate Aldila Sutjiadi were defaulted on Sunday after a gentle lob from the Japanese player left a ballgirl in tears and shaking.

The drama happened when the Japanese player Miyu Kato and her Indonesian partner were leading 3-1 in the second set after opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo had claimed the opener.

Standing at the net, Miyu Kato gently backhanded a ball in the direction of the ballgirl standing at the opposite end of Court 14 in an apparent effort to help the flow of the match.

Instead, it hit the youngster on the back of the head.

Miyu Kato, 28, immediately apologised to the girl who was crying and shaking.

Initially, the pair were handed only a warning by the chair umpire but their opponents Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo protested and urged the tournament supervisor to look again at the incident.

Kato and Sutjiadi were then disqualified. Miyu Kato also had to forfeit her prize money.

“I hope the ballgirl is OK and I hope we get to play Marie and Sara again,” said Kato.