PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Wednesday night to reach the Roland Garros semifinals for the fourth year in a row.
Zverev extended his current winning streak to 11 matches, including a title on clay at the Italian Open last month, and his victory over the 11th-seeded de Minaur at Court Philippe Chatrier moves him into a matchup against two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud on Friday.
The fourth-seeded Zverev is competing in Paris as a court proceeding continues in his home country of Germany, connected to accusations of physical abuse by a former girlfriend of his.
Zverev said he never thought it was a possibility he wouldn't be able to play in Paris because of the court case.
"No, they made it very clear from the beginning that I don't have to be there. I think everything is going accordingly. Everything is going OK from my side and from my point of view," he said. "There's nothing else to say."
The other men’s semifinal Friday is No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January, against No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who owns two major trophies. None of the four men left in the bracket has ever won Roland Garros, and this will be the first title match in Paris since 2004 without at least one of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer.