Fourth-seed Alexander Zverev of Germany will face No. 11 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia in the French Open quarterfinals on Wednesday, 5 June.
The winner of this match will play seventh-seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the semifinals. The Norwegian went through following Novak Djokovic's injury-related withdrawal from the French Open.
Alexander Zverev won the most recent meeting between these two players. The German claimed a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory over De Minaur in Indian Wells earlier this season, while the Australian beat Zverev 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the United Cup semifinals in January.
The former world #2 won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and has proven himself at the Masters level on several occasions, but he has yet to capture that elusive Grand Slam title. He came agonizingly close at the US Open in 2020, which was arguably the most open Slam tournament in recent years, largely due to Rafael Nadal's absence and Novak Djokovic's early disqualification.
The circumstances are similar now, with no clear favorite for this year's French Open due to other title contenders' poor form or fitness concerns. Zverev will undoubtedly be aiming to seize this opportunity and claim his maiden Grand Slam title.
Last month's Rome Masters champion is riding an impressive ten-match winning streak, which should give him a significant boost in confidence and momentum as he progresses. His recent form in Grand Slams, particularly at Roland Garros, suggested a strong potential for a deep run this fortnight. He led Daniil Medvedev by two sets to love in the Australian Open semifinals earlier this year and has reached the semifinals in the last three editions of the French Open.
The ongoing court trial for domestic abuse allegations, coinciding with the second Grand Slam of the season, is undoubtedly impacting Alexander Zverev's recent performances. Still, the 27-year-old German is demonstrating remarkable resilience by overcoming complex challenges.
While showing the qualities of a champion is commendable, achieving the title is another matter. Whether Zverev can maintain his focus amid these off-court issues and continue his winning streak to secure his maiden Grand Slam crown remains to be seen.
After staging a miraculous escape in a five-setter against Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands that concluded in four hours and 17 minutes in the third round, Zverev twice recovered from a set deficit to eliminate former Boys' French Open champion Holger Rune in five sets, taking over four hours to secure his place in the Paris quarterfinals once again.
While Alexander Zverev faces intense scrutiny and criticism from fans and pundits due to the ongoing allegations against him, Alex de Minaur is experiencing an exceptionally positive phase in his career. De Minaur has exceeded expectations at the French Open, steadily climbing the ranks and taking significant strides in his career over the past few months.
Daniil Medvedev's performance dropped significantly after developing blisters on his feet, allowing the Australian to capitalize and secure a superb four-set comeback success over the Russian in the round of 16. This victory not only allowed de Minaur to exact revenge on Medvedev, who had previously dominated their head-to-head series but also made history as he became the first Australian to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004, 20 years ago.
This achievement is monumental for de Minaur. Since the beginning of 2023, improving his performance in Grand Slams has been his natural next step following advancements at the ATP 500 and Masters levels. Before this French Open, he had only made one Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance in his entire career, which needed to be more of a player consistently ranked in the top 20. He quickly lost that quarterfinal match to Dominic Thiem in straight sets at the US Open 2020.
In addition to winning his first title above the ATP 250 level and consistently performing well in high-profile events, the world #11 has risen to the challenge against top-10 players in recent months. He has won five of his ten matches against top-10 players this year, a remarkable record considering his career win/loss record against them before 2024 was a dismal 13-39.
Even though he's ranked just outside the Top 10, Alex de Minaur's rise sends a message to Sascha Zverev. Zverev has historically struggled against top-10 players in the Majors, holding a poor 3-15 record against them.
Yet again, Zverev's fate largely depends on the development of the ongoing court trial and its mental impact on him. If he can keep a positive mindset and play to his strengths, the German should face few problems in overcoming his Australian opponent (unlike his hard-fought wins over Griekspoor and Rune).
