French Open lookahead: Nadal-Zverev, Cilic-Ruud semifinals

Posted June 02, 2022 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts after missing a point as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their quarterfinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium Tuesday, May 31, 2022 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - LOOKAHEAD TO FRIDAY

Rafael Nadal will face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in one French Open men's semifinal. No. 20 Marin Cilic will play No. 8 Casper Ruud in the second semifinal in Court Philippe Chatrier on Friday. It is Nadal's 36th birthday. There is rain in the forecast, so it is a good thing the stadium has a retractable roof. Nadal showed up at Roland Garros with his personal doctor because of chronic pain in his left foot. The Spaniard known as the King of Clay is seeking a 14th French Open trophy and 22nd Grand Slam title overall - both of those numbers would add to records he already holds - and has said repeatedly that he does not know if each match will be his last at the tournament he has dominated for so long. None of the other three players remaining the men's bracket has participated in a final in Paris. And only Zverev has even been to the semifinals at the clay-court major, losing at that stage a year ago. The 25-year-old German was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. Cilic, a 33-year-old from Croatia, won the 2014 U.S. Open and is now one of five active players to get to the final four at least once at each Grand Slam tournament. Ruud is a 23-year-old from Norway who hadn't been past the fourth round at a Slam until now. The men's final is Sunday.

FRIDAY'S FORECAST

Chance of thunderstorms. High of 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 Celsius).

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

Women's Semifinals: No. 1 Iga Swiatek beat No. 20 Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1; No. 18 Coco Gauff beat Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1.

Mixed Doubles Final: No. 2 Ena Shibahara and Wesley Koolhof beat Ulrikke Eikeri and Joran Vliegen 7-6 (5), 6-2.

STAT OF THE DAY

2004 - The last time a player younger than Coco Gauff, an 18-year-old American, played in a Grand Slam final. Maria Sharapova was 17 when she won Wimbledon that year. Gauff faces Iga Swiatek on Saturday at Roland Garros for the title.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

'œI don't think I consider myself a veteran. I mean, I do when I step on the court. ... I feel like I've learned sooner how to handle myself in certain situations than other players have. But I'm still learning, day in and day out.'ť - Coco Gauff.

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Germany's Alexander Zverev plays a shot against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their quarterfinal match at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) The Associated Press

Croatia's Marin Cilic celebrates winning his quarterfinal match against Russia's Andrey Rublev in five sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10-2), at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) The Associated Press

Norway's Casper Ruud celebrates winning his quarterfinal match against Denmark's Holger Rune in four sets, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) The Associated Press

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