Alexander Zverev kept his pursuit of a first Grand Slam title firmly on track on Tuesday, defeating Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. The 29-year-old German, the highest-ranked player remaining in the men's draw, will now face Czech youngster Jakub Mensik for a place in the final.
Zverev looked composed throughout, surrendering just one set in the tournament so far. Jodar, a 19-year-old who was ranked 707th in the world this time last year, had been one of the revelations of the clay season and made a bright start, building a 5-2 lead in the opening set. However, he lost his serve at 5-3 and the set slipped away in a tiebreak. The physical toll of two consecutive five-set matches in previous rounds appeared to weigh on the Spaniard, who could not recover his momentum as Zverev controlled the second and third sets with authority. "I want to win the matches that are ahead of me, that is my goal, that is my aim," Zverev said afterwards. It is the fifth time in six years he has reached the last four in Paris, where he was runner-up in 2024.
In the other men's quarter-final, 20-year-old Mensik ended the tournament run of Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca, winning 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in what he described as "one of my best performances so far." Mensik needed seven match points to close out a tense final set. Fonseca, 19, had impressed earlier in the tournament with wins over Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud, but could not maintain his level against a composed Mensik. Their quarter-final was the youngest men's last-eight encounter at Roland Garros since a 20-year-old Rafael Nadal faced a 19-year-old Djokovic in 2006.
With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz having withdrawn from the tournament before it began and Jannik Sinner and Djokovic already eliminated, Zverev enters the semi-finals as the clear favourite for the title. Having finished runner-up at three Grand Slam tournaments — including on this very court last year — he has rarely had a better opportunity to claim the sport's most coveted prize. "I'm happy to be in the semi-finals, for now," he said, keeping his focus measured.
The women's draw also produced significant quarter-final results on Tuesday. Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk defeated compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in the first all-Ukrainian women's quarter-final at a Grand Slam in the Open era, extending her unbeaten run on clay this season to 17 matches. Kostyuk, 23, dedicated her win to Ukraine following a deadly overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv. She will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, who swept past Romania's Sorana Cirstea in under an hour, in the semi-finals on Thursday.