French Open preview: Ruud and Zverev ready for semi-final battle
In contrast to the previous match in Rome, the Norwegian maintained his focus without any lapses and dominated their recent encounter in the quarterfinals of the French Open, securing a fairly comfortable 6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3.
Despite facing challenges with performance and confidence over the past six months, Ruud has remarkably attained another remarkable accomplishment on the big stage.
Since the resumption of the tour after the pandemic hiatus in 2020, the 24-year-old has impressively reached the semifinals or better in 12 Masters events (including the ATP Finals) and slams.
These notable results have effectively silenced his critics, who previously questioned his ability to excel in high-profile competitions.
Although the Norwegian number one has undoubtedly excelled in high-profile events in recent years, it is crucial for him to convert these impressive performances into titles.
Despite reaching a career-high ranking of number 2, he is still seeking his first title in tournaments above the ATP 250 level.
The world number four faced players ranked lower than him in both of his previous semifinal matches in slams and won matches in four sets, defeating Marin Cilic at the French Open in 2022 and Karen Khachanov at the US Open a few months later.
Alexander Zverev knocked out the first-time slam quarterfinalist Tomas Martin Etcheverry in four sets to extend his stay in Paris.
This is a undoubtedly a big result for the German, and part of his success can be attributed to the impressive performances of his compatriot Daniel Altmaier and the inexperienced Thiago Seyboth Wild, who eliminated big seeds Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev and created a more favorable path for Zverev in the tournament.
After returning from an injury break in January 2023, the former world number two was in need of a significant outcome to uplift his morale, and he achieved just that by reaching the semifinals at the French Open.
While this is a positive result, he still requires a notable victory, particularly against a top-10 opponent, which has proven elusive in his six attempts thus far in 2023 (0-6 against top-10 players this year).
Throughout his career, he has faced two significant challenges when it comes to slams, and he will have to confront both simultaneously this Friday.
Firstly, he has struggled in the semifinals of slams, losing four out of his previous five encounters at that stage.
Additionally, he carries a discouraging win/loss record of 1-12 against top-10 players in slams, with that sole success coming against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals at the French Open in 2022.
The 26-year-old is likely to approach the semi-final with a feeling of having nothing to lose. In contrast to his opponent Casper Ruud, who is defending his runner-up points from the previous year, the German has already matched his last year's result by reaching the semi-finals.
Moreover, his position in the top 50 of the ATP rankings was at risk at the start of the French Open campaign, but he has successfully managed to safeguard his ranking and even reclaim the German number one crown from Jan Lennard Struff.
Head-to-head: Alexander Zverev leads 2-1 (0-0 on clay). The anticipation surrounding this semifinal is considerably lower when compared to the other semifinal, giving the impression that both Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud are competing for the runner-up trophy.
Both players have been performing below their peak form, not only at this moment but also throughout the 2023 season.
As a result, neither player is anticipated to hold a significant advantage in this evenly poised clash.
