Alexander Zverev is into the semi-finals of Roland Garros after a 7-6(3) 6-1 6-3 win over Rafael Jodar.
The German overcame a 5-2 deficit in the opening set as he won yet again in straight sets to reach the final four.
It’s been a fantastic tournament for Jodar but too many long matches came back to haunt him here.
Zverev will now face Jakub Mensik or Joao Fonseca in the semi-finals on Friday.
It was a brutal start for both players as Jodar proved how talented he was by forcing errors from Zverev’s game while serving well under pressure when faced with break points to save.
Both players saved break points as the forehand of Zverev was the key shot for him throughout this contest.
There was no signs that Jodar was going to back down from the challenge of facing Zverev as he took command of the rallies and forced uncharacteristic errors from the German.
The consistently aggressive tennis of Jodar paid off in the sixth game as he earned the break of serve before consolidating to give himself a 5-2 lead.
Early signs were that Zverev was uncomfortable in the longer exchanges and was suffocated by Jodar’s proactive tennis.
The Spaniard couldn’t keep up the level as Zverev produced some aggressive returning to break back when Jodar was serving for the opening set.
In the latter stages of the set, Zverev was testing Jodar’s patience from the back of the court with mixed results as both players tussled for dominance.
It resulted in the first set going to a tiebreak which Jodar started well but couldn’t maintain Zverev’s physicality as the second seed took the tiebreak 7-3.
The German continued to play brutal tennis in the second set while the Spaniard’s first serve percentage was dipping.
Meanwhile, Zverev was playing aggressive and attack-minded tennis with Jodar struggling to break down the German’s serve.
Six of the seven games were won from Zverev as he comfortably took a two set lead.
There was a similar pattern in the third set as Zverev broke comfortably in the opening game but Jodar continued to show resilience and fight to fend off more pressure from the German.
The Spaniard’s resilience was rewarded as he stepped up his level in the eighth game as he looked to get the break back.
However, Zverev played the big points to save the break point before unleashing a big forehand on the run to seal a second break which resulted in victory for the German.
It was an impressive tournament for Jodar who has plenty to offer in the future starting with the grass court season.
In the end Zverev has still yet to drop a set at Roland Garros and will now play either Jakub Mensik or Joao Fonseca for a place in the final.
