Rolex Paris Masters – Alexander Zverev beats Casper Ruud (7-5, 6-4) joins Daniil Medvedev in half at Bercy

Mission accomplished for Alexander Zverev! Against the dangerous Casper Ruud, the number 4 seed qualified for the semi-finals of the Paris Masters after a match won in two well-managed sets (7-5, 6-4). Never endangered on his throw-in in the first set, the German had a slight weak time after breaking in the second set, but his quality of service allowed him to go the distance to qualify without forcing his talent. Tomorrow, he will face Daniil Medvedev for a rematch of the 2020 final at Paris-Bercy.

Zverev was unplayable behind his serve

Quite clearly, Zverev’s victory came as no surprise. Winner of the Vienna Masters before setting foot in the French capital, the German continued his fine streak of 28 victories for only 2 defeats since his victory at the Tokyo Olympics. Despite a very compact start to the game, Ruud gradually had to bow to his opponent’s ease as the game progressed. The figures speak for themselves: 45 points out of 58 won by Zverev on his serve, 21 points out of 21 won at the net, 33 winning shots (22 forehand, 5 backhand and 6 aces). Zverev was sovereign, like his break at 5-5 in the first set. Behind, the German did not tremble to finish the job (7-5).

The following ? Continuity in performance for Zverev, especially when emerging victorious from the standoff: 74% of opposing services returned to the court, 23 points gained against 11 for Ruud when the rally lasted between 5 and 9 strokes, 8 against 5 in his favor over 9 strokes. The Norwegian therefore had to cut short the exchange as quickly as possible, but this entailed strong risk-taking. At 1-1, Zverev broke again and will never be joined again. Even at 0-40 in the next game, the finalist of the last edition returned before confirming his break. With 74% of first ball, Zverev sickened Ruud by its solidity. Here he is ready to take revenge on his executioner from last year.