Novak Djokovic’s surprise withdrawal from the French Open set the stage for the anticipated quarter final matches, which saw Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner emerge victorious to create what could be the most exciting clash of the tournament!
“What can I say. First of all, it is every player’s dream to become No.1 in the world. In the other way, seeing Novak retiring here I think is disappointing. I wish him a speedy recovery.” Jannik Sinner
In the afternoon session, Sinner, the world No.1 in waiting, comfortably defeated Grigor Dimitrov for the fourth time with a scoreline of 6-2 6-4 7-6(3), securing a spot in the Roland Garros semi-finals for the first time.
“I am very happy. We have played a couple of times before and know what to expect,” Sinner said. “We played a final in Miami and it is always tough to play against him. He is such a great talent and nice guy. My performance was very solid, especially the first two sets. I had a little bit of pressure when serving for the match, but this is normal, this is tennis. I am happy with how I played later and to be in the semis.”
Grigor Dimitrov congratulates Jannik Sinner
(Photo by Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Dimitrov, at 33-years of age, has been having a great season with a title at Brisbane and reaching the final of two other events. He arrived in Paris with a 34-8 win-loss record for the year before making it to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Despite a strong effort from Dimitrov, especially in the third set forcing a tiebreaker, the young Sinner proved to be a force to be reckoned with!
For the Italian, the reigning Australian Open champion, this marks his third semi-final appearance in his last four Slams this year, boasting a 12-0 win-loss record in Slams and an overall 33-2 record for the season.
Upon learning of Djokovic’s withdrawal and his impending rise to the top ranking, Sinner humbly stated: “What can I say. First of all, it is every player’s dream to become No.1 in the world. In the other way, seeing Novak retiring here I think is disappointing. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Carlos Alcaraz dominates Stefanos Tsitsipas
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
In the evening session, title favorite Alcaraz continued his dominance over Stefanos Tsitsipas, securing a 6-3 7-6(3) 6-4 victory over the Greek star, marking his sixth win against him.
“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,” Alcaraz said. “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 semi-final here again in Roland Garros.”
Thus, the two young stars of tennis will face off on Thursday in what is expected to be the highlight match of the tournament. Both players have won four of their eight previous meetings, with Sinner holding the edge in their only previous clay-court encounter back in 2022 in the Umag final.
“It’s a really difficult challenge,” Alcaraz commented on facing Sinner. “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.”
Carlos Alcaraz walks off court alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas
(Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
