Zverev moves on in pursuit of first Grand Slam trophy

German tennis star Alexander Zverev moved a step closer to winning his first Grand Slam title, advancing to the French Open semifinals. The second-seeded Zverev overcame a slow start to defeat 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar in the quarterfinals.

After securing the first set in a tiebreak, Zverev dominated the remaining sets, winning 7-6, 6-1, 6-3. His path to the trophy has been eased by the early departures of several top players. Top seed Jannik Sinner was eliminated in the second round, while other major contenders including Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz have also exited the tournament. World number two Carlos Alcaraz is absent due to injury.

Zverev, who has been a consistent presence in the world's top rankings for years, is still searching for his maiden Grand Slam championship. He has come close on three occasions, reaching the finals of the Australian Open in 2025, the French Open in 2024, and the US Open in 2022, but was defeated each time. His career highlight includes winning the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.

His next opponent in the semifinals will be either Jakub Mensik or Joao Fonseca, who were scheduled to play their quarterfinal match later on Tuesday. Zverev's toughest potential challenger remaining in the draw is fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, whom he could only meet in the final.