Alexander Zverev reaches Roland Garros semifinal

Alexander Zverev reached the Roland Garros semifinals on Tuesday after beating Spain's Rafa Jódar in four sets, extending his run of deep Paris appearances to five straight years. The official Roland-Garros match page listed the score as 7-6(6) 7-6(3) 6-1 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Roland-Garros coverage and live reporting from The Guardian said the win put the German into another semifinal at the clay-court major. Jódar, 19, left Paris after the biggest Grand Slam run of his career so far. ### How close was the match before Zverev pulled away? The first two sets on June 2 were tight enough to require tiebreaks. Roland-Garros' official match log showed Zverev taking them 7-6(6) and 7-6(3) before the match turned more decisively in his favor. Alexander Zverev then won the third set 6-1 and the fourth 6-3, according to the official score page. The match lasted 2 hours and 25 minutes on Philippe-Chatrier, the tournament site said. ### What does this say about Zverev's record in Paris? The Guardian said Tuesday's victory sent Zverev into his fifth consecutive Roland Garros semifinal. Roland-Garros also framed the quarterfinal as another step in a run that has made the German a regular late-stage presence in Paris. No. 2 seed status also underscored his place in the draw. Roland-Garros' preview and highlights page said Zverev entered the match seeking that fifth Paris semifinal when he faced Jódar. ### Who is Rafa Jódar, and why did this run draw attention? Rafael Jódar is a 19-year-old Spaniard playing his first Roland Garros main-draw campaign, according to the tournament's post-match press conference listing. Roland-Garros said he spoke to reporters after the quarterfinal defeat to No. 2 seed Zverev. Spanish outlet El Mundo described Jódar's tournament as a breakout run and said attention around him had surged in Paris, including comparisons casting him as "the new Rafa." Earlier El Mundo coverage said he had arrived at Roland Garros after only a few months on the professional circuit and with growing expectations around Spanish tennis. ### Was this a routine quarterfinal or a test for Zverev? Court Philippe-Chatrier hosted a match that was competitive for two sets and one-sided after that. The scoreline shows Jódar stayed level long enough to push both opening sets into tiebreaks, but Zverev's control increased once he had the lead. Roland-Garros' on-court interview listing said Zverev reacted after beating "Spain's Rafael Jodar" on Tuesday. The tournament's video and match pages treated the result as a completed quarterfinal rather than an upset scare, with the main detail being his return to the final four. ### Who does Zverev play next? Jakub Mensik earned the other place in that half of the draw on Tuesday. Roland-Garros said the Czech beat João Fonseca 6-4 6-3 7-6(3) for his first Grand Slam semifinal. Roland-Garros' live coverage said Mensik and Zverev will meet in Friday's semifinal. That sets a matchup between an established Paris semifinalist and a player reaching that stage of a major for the first time.