Young Paul, 14 years old, Alex de Minaur’s new ultra, will not have been enough. No more than the often heroic defense of the Australian to resist the blows of Alexander Zverev. The German, who had twice had to fight five sets in the previous rounds, this time came through in three sets and 2h59 of play (6-4, 7-6, 6-4), and reached the semi-finals. of Roland-Garros for the fourth time in a row.
If the score seems severe, the match was particularly intense. Broken very early in the game, Alex de Minaur immediately reacted to engage in a showdown which he loves. Very comfortable on clay, precise in his slides and his defenses, the Australian constantly forced his opponent to play an extra shot. He still took the advantage by breaking at 3-3, before concluding calmly with his throw-in.
The turning point in the tie-break of the second set
However, this was only the beginning. Carried by the public of the Philippe-Chatrier court, who kept shouting “Alex, Alex”, the 11th player in the world pulled out all the stops in the second set. He even had a set point thanks in particular to exceptional rallies, but Alexander Zverev was in control and responded to all his attacks. In the tie-break, after several unforced errors on the forehand, the German reacted again and took the lead at the last minute to lead two sets to zero. The opportunity in particular to put the finger behind the ear, and to provoke the public committed to the cause of its opponent.
Mass was said, Alex de Minaur’s luck was over. Combative, the 11th in the world continued to try to reverse the trend, but gradually became annoyed by his inability to seize his opportunities. Sometimes cautious while watching his clan, the Australian finally cracked on his serve and let the 4th in the world slip away to a deserved victory. If he initially failed to conclude on his throw-in, he finally did so on that of his opponent. He now has two days to prepare for his semi-final against the Norwegian Casper Ruud, who rested peacefully this Wednesday thanks to Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal.
