Rolex Paris Masters 2024 | Alexander Zverev qualified for the semi-finals after his success against Stefanos Tsitsipas

A break at the end of the first set. Another one at the start of the second inning and that’s the job. It didn’t take much for Alexander Zverev to take the measure of Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-5, 6-4, in one hour and forty minutes. World number 3, the German therefore maintains his rank as tournament favorite after the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner and the elimination of Carlos Alcaraz. He returns to the final four at Bercy for the first time since 2021 and will face Holger Rune or Alex de Minaur on Saturday with a double challenge: the final and the return to the runner-up place in the ATP rankings.

Everything came down to a tense end to the first act between the two men. Tsitsipas led 5-4, going to two points from the set on Zverev’s serve, in vain, before conceding the first break of the game in the 11th game. In the process, the Greek had the opportunity to erase the slate to take his opponent to the tie-break but again, he did not have the last word. In reality, by losing this first set, Tsitsipas had undoubtedly also lost the match.

From there, his lack of confidence these days became glaring. Certainly, the day before, in the round of 16, he had won against Francisco Cerundolo after dropping the first set in the deciding game. But Zverev is a cut above and the German continued to press the accelerator to break again at 1-1 in the second set. He had his hands on this match for good. Authoritarian in the exchange, it was he who most often dictated the debates and Tsitsipas was too often reduced to impotence.

To have a chance of passing this Friday, the Athenian had to be much more efficient in the service. But with only 49% of first balls, he too often exposed his commitment. A little too wait-and-see in the rest of the game, he lacked aggression and did not deserve much more in this quarter-final. He bid farewell to the Turin Masters, for which he remained mathematically in play, but without really believing in it given his delay in the qualifying places.

Alexander Zverev continues to be remarkably consistent in the Masters 1000. This is his fourth semi-final in this tournament category this season. If nothing is certain, he would make a credible winner at this stage on Sunday. Given the remaining field, betting on him is perhaps not the most absurd bet…