The final confrontation took place in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Masters 1,000, a rivalry marked by an invasion of bees that forced a delay of more than an hour of play. The Spaniard played high-intensity tennis that ended up suffocating the German, en route to what would be his sixth Masters 1,000, the only trophy he has lifted this campaign.
Earlier this year, Zverev eliminated the Spaniard in the quarterfinals of the Australian Openafter an extraordinary start and after holding his own against a recovering Alcaraz, who ended up bowing out 6-1, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4
Zverev managed to climb the ranking positions and entered the Masters Tournament, where the seventh duel with Alcaraz took place, this time the victory of the German on the fast court in Turin, 6-7(3), 6-3 and 6 -4
At the US Open that same year they met in the quarterfinals, with a win in three sets for the Spaniard, 6-3, 6-2 and 6-4which would end up lifting his first Grand Slam at that tournament and push him to number 1 in the rankings, the youngest in history to achieve it.
Last year they crossed paths three times. In Madrid, again, Alcaraz imposed his tennis on the German, who recently returned to the courts after an injury last year in Paris, and scored only three games, 6-1, 6-3
A few weeks later, their rackets crossed again in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros. Against an Alcaraz tennis player with the best results on clay, the German, very solid, achieved his first victory against a top player in four sets, 6-4, 6-4, 4- 6, 7-6(7 ). -10 in Grand Slams. In the semifinals he crossed paths with Nadal and had to leave the match in a wheelchair after spraining his ankle.
The first confrontation between the Spanish and German took place in the 2021 Acapulco tournament, when Alcaraz, about to turn 18, narrowly held off the German, 6-3, 6-1. A few months later they met in the semifinals of the Vienna tournament and Zverev once again imposed his authority, 6-3, 6-3
They will meet for the second time at Roland Garros, where the German won in 2022 and it will also be their second meeting in a final, after the Spaniard won in Madrid in 2022.
The Spaniard and the German will experience their tenth confrontation today in a rivalry in which the German prevails 5-4. This will be their third matchup this year, the fourth at a Grand Slam, and the fourth on clay.
But at the Australian Open it was Zverev who got the victory also in four sets in the quarterfinals, as at Roland Garros in 2022, the only rivalry in this tournament
World number 4 He is one of the few tennis players with a favorable balance of duels with Alcaraz. They have met nine times, with five wins for the German who, however, bowed out in the end, in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1,000 in Indian Wells four months ago.
The German finally reached the final along with other good news for him, that The trial for assaulting a former partner in his country has been closedafter reaching an agreement between the parties
Thus Zverev became the second German to play in the Roland Garros final, after Michael Stich lost in 1996 against Russian Evgeny Kafelnikov
“So I wasn’t mature, I wasn’t ready“said the 27-year-old German, who defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 and 6-2, beating him in the semifinals last year en route to his second straight final.
His rival is the strongest tennis player on the circuit, Zverevwho chained a twelfth straight victory to reach his first final in Paris, after three failed semifinals, his second at a Grand Slam after the 2020 United States Open, which he lost against Austrian Dominic Thiem
“I’m happy that I got through this difficult situation based on other similar ones I’ve experienced in the past and to see that I learned from them how to deal with those moments. I became mentally strong, I didn’t leave at any point in the game, for me “I am proud not to have stumbled over the same stone,” he said.
But the Spaniard is particularly proud that he knows how to overcome the tension that last year at the same stage against Novak Djokovic caused cramps that prevented him from competing.
Alcaraz became last Friday the youngest tennis player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces, after winning the 2022 US Open and last year’s Wimbledon. In addition, the second youngest finalist in Paris behind Nadal
A blemish for his country at a Roland Garros where only the men’s singles team had no Italian representation after the eventual Australian Open’s winner lost
The battle was lively, full of epic, because neither of the two tennis players was able to show the level that put them at the top of the ranking, but the Spaniard showed more endurance, knowing how to stay afloat in the worst moments and went further strong in the final stretch, where he finished off the Italian
Alcaraz reached his first final in Paris after defeating Italian Jannik Sinner in a grueling matchvirtual number 1 in the world, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and 6-3, a duel full of tension and emotion between two rivals who know each other well and played in the possession of everything that in the Game
It is a rivalry between two tennis players from different generations and unequal careers. The German, 27 years old, number 4 in the ranking, is looking for his first crown at a Grand Slam while the Spaniard, 21 and number 3 in the world, has already added two
Before Nadal, they won Juan Carlos Ferrerocoach of Murcia, in 2003, Albert Costa in 2002, Carlos Moya in 1998, Sergi Bruguera in 1993 and 1994, Andres Gimeno in 1972 and Manolo Santana in 1961 and 1964
Rafa Nothing They are followed by Frenchman Max Décugis, who won eight titles between 1903 and 1923, and Swede Björn Borg, who won six between 1974 and 1981.
The young player from El Palmar, 21 years old and number 3 in the world, He will face Zverev, 27 and a quarter in the world ranking
The Murcian tennis player seeking to become the eighth Spaniard to lift the Musketeers Cup at the Parisian Grand Slam in his first final that, if he wins, he will be the 62nd in the world to register his name as champion
Good afternoon! Let’s start the live the grand final of Roland Garros which will be encountered in a few minutes Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev
LiveBlog: 2113
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
