Roland-Garros 2023: the shock at the top Djokovic-Alcaraz will take place in the semifinals

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Tiziana FABI, Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP 23:46 p.m., June 06, 2023

As expected, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz met Tuesday in the semifinals of Roland-Garros of which they are the favorites in the absence of Rafael Nadal. The young Spaniard, world number 1 at 20 years old, played in the quarters of the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (5th), finalist in 2021, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5). Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Serbian (3rd) lost his first set of the tournament before dominating Russian Karen Khachanov (11th) 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4.

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Twelfth semi-final at Roland-Garros

"He was better for the majority of the first two sets. I struggled to get into the match, but I managed a perfect tie break," said Djokovic, seeking a record 23rd Grand Slam title. "It's like there were two games in one. The first two sets (until the tie break) are my two worst of the tournament so far. And then the third and fourth were pretty good," he said.

"When I entered the court today, I had probably left a part of me in the locker room," he summed up after signing his 90th victory on the Parisian clay where only the master of the place Rafael Nadal did better (112). He will play his twelfth half at Roland-Garros where only Nadal has done better (15 for 14 titles). It will also be his 45th Grand Slam semi and there, only Roger Federer has done better (46). For his part, Khachanov, who had reached the last four of the last two Grand Slam tournaments (US Open 2022 and Australian Open in January), will not manage the pass of three.

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"Beat the best"

As hoped, even inevitable, it is Alcaraz who will stand in the way of Djokovic on Friday in the semis. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who became the youngest world No. 1 when he won his first Grand Slam tournament last year at the US Open (where Djokovic was unable to participate due to a lack of covid vaccine), disgusted Tsitsipas. Even though the Greek, having been leading 5-2 in the third set, saved five match balls in total and pushed the set in the tie break, he was overall completely overwhelmed and subdued by Alcaraz who inflicted 36 winning shots.

"I believe in myself, all the time," Alcaraz said to explain the level of his dominance on Tuesday. "I lost my focus a little bit on the end, but I'm glad I was able to overcome this moment because the end was very tense," he added. As for his match against Djokovic, "this is the match that everyone wanted to see and that I wanted to play," he said. "Because to be the best, you have to beat the best." In the women's draw, Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka (2nd) beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina (192nd) 6-4, 6-4 and reached the last four of Paris for the first time in her career. Between the Belarusian and the Ukrainian, the match was accompanied as since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, an emotional and political charge.

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"Instinctively"

Ukrainian players have become accustomed to not shaking hands with their Russian or Belarusian opponents. On Tuesday, Sabalenka nevertheless waited for Svitolina at the net, obviously hoping to greet her, but the Ukrainian did not even give her a look. "I did this instinctively, as I always do at the end of my matches," said the Belarusian, back in a press conference after missing the previous two to preserve her "mental health" and "well-being, considering herself too targeted by questions about the war in Ukraine and his links with the authoritarian president of his country, Alexander Lukashenko.

But this wait at the net was not appreciated by the Ukrainian. "My first reaction was to say, 'What are you doing?' Because I made my position clear," said Svitolina, who was back in the Grand Slam quarterfinals less than eight months after giving birth to her first child last October, a baby girl born from her union with Gael Monfils and named Skaï.

Still, Sabalenka, crowned with her first Major title in January at the Australian Open, is at the rendezvous of the last Parisian square. She will face Czech Karolina Muchova (43rd) on Thursday, who beat Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (7rd but 5 finalist) earlier in the day.