PARIS – Alexander Zverev's day began with the announcement of an out-of-court settlement that brought an end to a domestic violence case in his native Germany. On Friday evening, he moved a win away from his first Grand Slam title with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open semifinals.
Hours before Zverev’s semifinal began in Paris, word emerged from Berlin that a district court there ended a trial stemming from an ex-girlfriend's accusation of assault during a 2020 argument. The resolution came with the agreement of state prosecutors and lawyers for Zverev and his former partner, Brenda Patea, German news agency dpa reported.
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“I told you so from the start; I told everybody. I’m happy that it’s over,” Zverev said at his post-match news conference. “Yeah, nothing else more to say.”
When a reporter tried to follow up on the topic, Zverev said: “We move on. I never, ever want to hear another question about the subject again. That goes out to everybody.”
Lawyers for Zverev, who was not required to appear in court during the proceeding, issued a statement saying there was no finding of admission or guilt. A lawyer for Patea did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Zverev always denied any wrongdoing and said before the French Open began that he was not concerned about how things would go in the case.
The fourth-seeded Zverev had lost in the Roland Garros semifinals each of the past three years, including against No. 7 Ruud in 2023. In 2022, Zverev left Court Philippe Chatrier in a wheelchair after tearing three right ankle ligaments during his semifinal against Rafael Nadal.
The opponent in Zverev's second career major final — he was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open — will be No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who eliminated Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 earlier Friday.
Zverev leads the head-to-head series with Alcaraz 5-4, including a victory over the two-time major champion in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals.
In his semifinal, Zverev only was able to take control after Ruud began experiencing stomach issues.
“I saw he started to move a little bit slower,” Zverev said. “That’s usually how it is when you're not feeling quite well.”
In Zverev's lone previous Slam final, in a nearly empty stadium in New York amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he took a two-set lead over Dominic Thiem, but could not close the deal.
“I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it now again: I was not ready. I was not ready to win my first Grand Slam final. I was not mature enough. I was maybe too much of a kid still. I didn’t know what the occasion means. And that’s why I lost,” Zverev said Friday. “I’m 27 years old now. So definitely not a kid anymore. Already getting older. If not now, then when?”
Ruud is a three-time major finalist, including losing the titles at Roland Garros to Nadal in 2022 and to Novak Djokovic in 2023.
On Friday, Ruud’s level was high in the first set, and declined from there.
He broke twice in the first set, then went 0 for 1 on those chances the rest of the way. His top serve speed in the first set was 130 mph (210 kph) and slid to 118 mph (191 kph) by the fourth.
He was visited by a doctor during a changeover in the third set. It was not clear what was wrong, and while Ruud was handed some pills, he didn’t appear to take them.
As play resumed, Ruud was more listless than usual, and he didn’t even give chase when Zverev smacked a forehand to close out a break for a 3-2 lead. That pretty much decided that set.
After the set ended, Ruud headed to the locker room. When he returned, things never got much better for him, and Zverev broke to begin the fourth.
“I’m in the final; I haven’t won yet. But I just want to play my best tennis and give myself the best chance,” Zverev said, looking ahead to Sunday. “If I am able to do that, and if I am able to lift that trophy, it will mean the world to me.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis