Alcaraz at Djokovic magkakaroon ng showdown sa French Open semis
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz Garfia plays a forehand return to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during their men's singles quarter final match on day ten of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 6, 2023. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
Makakalaban ni Carlos Alcaraz si Novak Djokovic sa isang blockbuster French Open semi-final, makaraang talunin ng Spanish world number one si Stefanos Tsitsipas sa score na 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5).
Ang 20-anyos na si Alcaraz ang naging pinakabatang French Open men’s semi-finalist pagkatapos ni Djokovic noong 2007, makaraang daigin ang dating Roland Garros runner-up na si Tsitsipas.
Si Djokovic ay makakaharap ni Alcaraz sa ikalawang pagkakataon ng kaniyang tennis career. Una niyang nakaharap ang 22-time Grand Slam champion sa Madrid noong nakalipas na taon kung saan tinalo niya ito sa tatlong sets.
Sinabi ni Alcaraz, “This match everyone wants to watch and I would say it is going to be a good match to play and watch as well. I really wanted to play this match. If you want to be the best you have to beat the best, and Novak Djokovic is one of the best in the world at the moment.”
Sinimulan ni Tsitsipas ang night session quarter-final nang may kumpiyansa, subalit kinalaunan ay nakuha ni Alcaraz ang kontrol sa pamamagitan ng dalawang break points para maibulsa ang opening set, hanggang sa tuluyan nang isinuko ni Tsitsipas ang second set sa pamamagitan ng isang double fault.
Kuwento pa ni Alcaraz, “I lost my focus a little bit at the end of the third set. He started to play better and of course, I lost my focus a little bit, I was in trouble. I am happy to recover from that problem and still focus and play a great level.”
Noong Biyernes, tinalo ng two-time Paris champion na si Djokovic si Karen Khachanov sa score na 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 upang makapasok sa semi-finals para sa ika-12 pagkakataon at ika-45 sa majors.
