Alex de Minaur’s thrilling run to the quarter-finals of the French Open ended on Wednesday night as the 11th seed was defeated by Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3. The Australian, who had never previously passed the second round at Roland Garros, battled hard but could not overcome the German.
Zverev’s victory sets up a semi-final against Casper Ruud, a rematch of last year’s semi-final won by Ruud. Ruud advanced after Novak Djokovic withdrew from the tournament due to a torn medial meniscus sustained in his fourth-round match.
Zverev continues to compete while facing a trial in Berlin for allegedly physically abusing his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea. He has denied the allegations. The trial resumes on Friday, the same day as his semi-final against Ruud.
In the match, De Minaur had chances, notably in the second-set tie-break where he led 4-0 before Zverev rallied to win 7-5. Despite the loss, De Minaur’s performance marked his best clay-court season and confirmed his progress into the top 10.
De Minaur will now shift his focus to the grass season, his favourite surface, with confidence gained from his Parisian run.
