Paris, June 5: Sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic topped No.3 seed Alexander Zverev, last year’s finalist, in four sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his record 51st career Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open.

The Serb's 51 major semifinals are already a record for men and just one behind Chris Evert for the overall mark — and his 13th at Roland-Garros. He is the second-oldest man in the Open era to reach the Roland-Garros semifinals after Pancho Gonzales in 1968.

The last time Djokovic faced Zverev, he was walking off the court solemnly after injury put a premature end to their Australian Open semifinal in January. But on Wednesday night in Paris, after more than three hours of battle on court Philippe-Chatrier, the 24-time Grand Slam champion rallied from a set behind to keep his quest for a record-setting 25th Grand Slam title going into the semifinals.

"Beating one of the best players in the world on the biggest stages is something that I definitely work for, and I still, you know, push myself on a daily basis at this age because of these kinds of matches and these kinds of experiences. It's a proven kind of testament to myself that I can and to others that I can still play on the highest level," Djokovic said after the win.

With his 101st victory at the clay-court major, three-time champion Djokovic set a semifinal with top seed Jannik Sinner — their first meeting at a Grand Slam event since Sinner topped Djokovic in four sets on the way to his first Australian Open title last year. Djokovic's head-to-head with Sinner is level at 4-4, but he has lost the last three.

Should he win that, and if No.2 seed Carlos Alcaraz tops Lorenzo Musetti in the other semifinal, Djokovic may have the opportunity to achieve something never before done. No man has defeated the top 3 ranked players to win a Grand Slam tournament in the history of the ATP rankings.

Djokovic arrived at Roland Garros fresh from winning his 100th tour-level title in Geneva, and is now on a nine-match winning streak. The Serbian great is chasing his first major title since the 2023 US Open. Alcaraz, defending champion at Roland Garros, and Sinner, between them, have won each of the five that followed.

(IANS)

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