There should be plenty of entertaining tennis for the fans when Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas step on to court to contest their French Open semifinal. Both men will no doubt be desperate to secure their place in the final, where they will face either top seed Novak Djokovic or 13-time champion Rafael Nadal. But who will come out on top? Here are some of the keys to the match:
Alexander Zverev vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Key Stats
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 5-2 Zverev
Last meeting: 2021 Acapulco, Zverev won 6-4 7-6
H2H on clay: Tsitsipas 1-0
Last time they met on clay: 2019 Madrid, Tsitsipas won 7-5 3-6 6-2
Roland Garros So far
Zverev
First round:
3-6 3-6 6-2 6-2 6-0 vs Oscar Otte
Second round:
7-6 6-3 7-6 vs Roman Safiullin
Third round:
6-2 7-5 6-2 vs Laslo Djere
Fourth round:
6-4 6-1 6-1 vs Kei Nishikori
QF:
6-4 6-1 6-1 vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Tsitsipas:
First round:
7-6 6-3 6-1 vs Jeremy Chardy
Second round:
6-3 6-4 6-3 vs Pedro Martinez
Third round:
5-7 6-3 7-6 6-1 vs John Isner
Fourth round:
6-3 6-2 7-5 vs Pablo Carreno Busta
QF:
6-3 7-6 7-5 vs Daniil Medvedev
The rundown:
Besides the obvious excitement and buzz surrounding Nadal vs Djokovic (and rightfully so), Tsitsipas vs Zverev could make for equally intriguing viewing. Both players are coming in to the match in very solid form after impressing during the clay season and they have been playing exceptional tennis at Roland Garros. As a result, their semifinal clash can easily swing either way.
While Tsitispas leads the head-to-head 5-2, they’ve only played each once on clay back in Madrid two years ago; with Tsitsipas winning in straight-sets on that day. They’ve played each other once this year, with Zverev winning in straight sets in the final in Acapulco. With the lack of clay-court encounters and the Acapulco courts playing very differently to those at Roland Garros, it’s very difficult to decide a clear-cut favourite and how the match will play out, making this semifinal all the more exciting.
What they need to do:
Zverev:
Zverev has been a very interesting figure in this year’s tournament, he looked a little bit shaky in his opening matches against Otto and Safiullin, but has been brilliant since. Dominating rallies behind his serve and taking early control with angled returns has made Zverev look as good as he has at any point so far this season. Expect to see the same thing here, especially against a player like Tsitsipas who’s more than happy to play an all-court game.
Tsitsipas:
Tsitsipas has been brilliant all tournament; last three wins over seeded players and it has been comprehensive viewing. Isner had a strong showing at Madrid and once took Nadal the distance at Roland Garros, but Tsitsipas dealt with Isner’s weapons brilliantly. He was then happy to play out longer rallies with a variety of shot-making against Carreno Busta and able to move Medvedev around with similar variety displays Tsitsipas’ ability to adapt excellently to styles. The same thing to expect here, look out for Tsitsipas coming to the net and use his variety to keep Zverev’s huge firepower at bay.
Final thoughts:
This is going to be a brilliant contest between two players who deserve to make the final. Many factors at play for both players but they’ll have to win off their racquet and not rely on mistakes from their opponent. As the case with every semifinal, fitness will be a factor to come in especially if matches go the distance; something I can see happening here. As shown in the Otto match, Zverev can take time to gain control and momentum while Tsitsipas can play very gutsy tennis as the match rolls on. Assuming this goes the distance, Tsitsipas should come through a tight contest, but don’t be surprised if Zverev pulls off the win.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
