Following Novak Djokovic’s loss to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros quarter-finals, Alexander Zverev now controls his destiny in the battle for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

If the German wins Roland Garros, on 6 June he will become the 28th player to reach the top of the men’s tennis mountain. He next plays 13-time champion Nadal in the semi-finals.

If Zverev does not lift his first Grand Slam trophy on Sunday, Djokovic will remain in top spot for a record-extending 373rd week on 6 June. Zverev would climb to a career-high No. 2 next week if he loses in the final, and remain World No. 3 if he falls to Nadal.

Potential Pepperstone ATP Rankings Points (6 June) Based On RG Result

However, Zverev is guaranteed to ascend to at least a career-high No. 2 on 13 June, when past Roland Garros points (from 2020-21) fall off players’ Pepperstone ATP Rankings, regardless of his performance the rest of the tournament. Djokovic will fall to No. 3 that day, when the 2,000 points he earned in Paris last year drop.

If Zverev does not triumph in Paris, Daniil Medvedev will begin his second stint at World No. 1. He previously held top spot for three weeks earlier this year.

Potential Pepperstone ATP Rankings Points (13 June) Based On RG Result

The week of 13 June will mark the first week since 10 November 2003 that at least one member of the ‘Big Four’ — Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray — will not be in the top two of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Wednesday’s Roland Garros quarter-finals will produce at least one first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, with Marin Cilic the lone competitor who has experienced that stage of a major. Cilic takes on Andrey Rublev, who is playing in his fifth Grand Slam quarter-final, while Casper Ruud faces #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune in a battle of first-time quarter-finalists.

All four men are former World No. 1 juniors, but none has reached the semis at Roland Garros. At the junior level, Cilic (2004), Rublev (2014) and Rune (2019) all won the Roland Garros boys’ title at age 16.

In the past two-and-a-half years, Rublev and Ruud have been among the most successful players on the ATP Tour. Rublev leads the Tour with 122 match wins since 2020, and is second, behind Novak Djokovic, in titles won and finals reached.

There will be no doubles action on Day 11 after the semi-final bracket was completed on Tuesday. The four remaining teams will enjoy a day off before play resumes Thursday.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[8] Casper Ruud (NOR) vs. Holger Rune (DEN)

The final Court Philippe Chatrier evening session features a historic matchup — the first all-Scandinavian quarter-final in major history. Ruud, 23, has made his first breakthrough to that stage in his 14th Grand Slam main-draw appearance, while the 19-year-old Rune is playing in just his third major.

The young Dane was 0-2 at the Grand Slam level entering Paris, but has beaten 14th seed Denis Shapovalov (first round) and fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas (fourth round) to reach the quarters with a full head of steam.

“I have strong belief in myself that if I really focus and play my tennis, I can beat almost everybody,” he said after getting past Tsitsipas. Rune also beat World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who will face Rafael Nadal in Friday’s semi-finals, in April on the way to his first ATP Tour title in Munich.

“But also, I really have to be in the moment, because if not, everybody can also beat me,” he added.

🚨 UPSET ALERT 🚨

Fantastic performance from @holgerrune2003!

He makes it to the quarter-finals in Roland-Garros and is the first Dane to do so in the history of the tournament 🙌 🇩🇰 @rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/oU2vzsvdY2

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 30, 2022

One man he has not beaten is Ruud, who holds a 3-0 edge in their ATP Head2Head history. They have met three times, all on clay, with the Norwegian taking straight-sets victories each of the past two years at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters as well as last July in Bastad. But their most recent matchup, in the Monte Carlo in April, was their closest yet: a 7-6(5), 7-5 decision for Ruud.

“It was a great match. It was very close. I had a lot of chances, and didn’t really take them,” Rune said, looking back.

“I know Casper Ruud very well, and he’s been doing mainly all his best showings in Masters 1000s and the [ATP] 250s, which he’s won a lot of,” he later added. “Of course [he is] more experienced than me, but not a lot more experienced in a Slam… It’s both our first quarter-final. Of course we both feel the nerves.”

While Ruud is yet to assert himself as a second-week fixture at the Grand Slams, he leads the ATP Tour with 64 clay-court wins since the start of 2020. He has won all eight of his tour-level titles in that timespan, including seven on clay.

Ruud earned his most recent win in a 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 decision over 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz.

“To win this match and to make my first quarter-final here in Roland Garros means a lot,” he said after getting past Hurkacz. “It’s the first Grand Slam that I visited as a kid. It’s nice to get one of my best results of my career so far here.”

Into his first Grand Slam QF 🙌 @CasperRuud98 keeps on making Norwegian tennis history by defeating Hurkacz 6-2 6-3 3-6 6-3 👏🇳🇴 @rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/8iznMEI06Q

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 30, 2022

In the third round, he battled back from two-sets-to-one down to edge 32nd seed Lorenzo Sonego. He also beat home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the opening round, sending the Frenchman into retirement.

While Rune recognises his achievement in progressing to the quarter-finals, he remains locked in on the task at hand.

“It is going to change, of course, a little bit the way I look on the Grand Slams in the future when you know you have reached a quarter-final one time,” he said. “It has been a big goal for me this year, and to reach it is a good feeling.

“The tournament is not over and I want to try to win my next match, and I’m already focussed on it. I need to do all the right things to be prepared. I think it will be an exciting match in the quarter-final.”

As the World No. 8, Ruud is the clear favourite in the matchup, at least according to the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, in which his opponent has moved 12 places to No. 28 this fortnight. Victory Wednesday will elevate the Dane — the lone unseeded Roland Garros quarter-finalist — to the cusp of the Top 20.

[7] Andrey Rublev vs. [20] Marin Cilic (CRO)

The 33-year-old Cilic may be the elder statesman in the bottom half of the draw, but if you ask him, his tennis journey is just beginning. After he knocked Gilles Simon out of his final Roland Garros in the third round — the Frenchman plans to retire at the end of the season — Cilic was asked what stage he feels he is at in his career.

“At the start,” he said with a laugh. “Honestly, feeling good. I was even talking with my doctor end of last year… and he said, your body’s like 25.

“Don’t tell my wife I’m saying this… I might be playing another 10 years.”

That smiles says it ALL 🤗 @cilic_marin @rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Y2KQnrut0M

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 30, 2022

The Croatian has been in vintage form this fortnight, dropping just one set and an average of two games per set won. He played what he called “one of the best matches of my career from start to finish” to upset World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. His 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win was every bit as dominant as the scoreline suggested, and his performance makes him a legitimate contender to win his second Grand Slam title this week.

Even before that eye-catching performance, Cilic was not lacking in belief. He previously said the he “absolutely” believed he was still capable of winning more big titles. A 20-time tour-level champion, his biggest crowns have come at the 2014 US Open and in 2016 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.

“I’m feeling good on the court, everything’s working well,” he added. “I’m quite dedicated with my training, with my routines. I take that quite seriously. Rarely go in tournaments that I’m not 100 percent ready. So those are things that keep me in shape.

“How long? We’ll see. But definitely three, four years, if I can be competitive like this.”

Cilic, who said things have “clicked” for him this fortnight, posted a 4-4 record on the European clay swing prior to Roland Garros. He has only notched three wins at the same tournament once before this season — at the Australian Open, where he reached the fourth round before a four-set defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime.

His opponent in the Aussie Open third round was none other than Rublev. The Croatian claimed a 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 victory, but still trails their ATP Head2Head series 2-4. Their lone meeting on clay came in 2015 in their very first match, when Cilic scored a three-set win in Geneva. Rublev won both of their 2021 meetings, at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami and Cinicinnati.

The seventh-seeded Rublev lived up to his seeding to be among the last eight in Paris, but he has not been as clinical as his Croatian opponent. Rublev has dropped one set in each of his four Roland Garros matches and won a thrilling 13-11 fourth-set tie-break to avoid a fifth set against Cristian Garin in the third round. He then dropped a 6-1 opening set to Jannik Sinner in the fourth round before the Italian began to struggle with a knee problem which forced him to retire in the third set.

💪 @AndreyRublev97 @rolandgarros | #RolandGarrospic.twitter.com/reS599uz1H

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 30, 2022

But widening the scope, the 24-year-old Rublev entered Paris in fine form. A three-time tour-level champion this season, he won his third career clay title in late April by beating Djokovic in the final of the Serbia Open on the World No. 1’s home city of Belgrade. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open, where he lost to Tsitsipas.

Neither Rublev nor Cilic has advanced to the Roland Garros semi-finals before, though both have made the quarter-finals — Rublev in 2020 and Cilic in both 2017 and 2018. While Rublev is seeking his first Grand Slam semi-final, the Croatian has reached that stage five previous times. It’s Cilic’s 14th major quarter-final and Rublev’s fifth.

Rafael Nadal was full of emotion following his four-set quarter-final victory over Novak Djokovic Tuesday night at Roland Garros. The match spilled over into Wednesday morning in Paris, carrying on past 1 a.m. until Nadal emerged victorious, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).

“I became emotional because, of course, the last three months and a half for me, the only thing that I can say is it hasn’t been easy,” Nadal explained in his post-match press conference. “Not going to be talking about all the things I went through the last couple of months any more now, because I have to keep going, but of course it hasn’t been a fun three months.

“All these things… make this match more special, without a doubt.”

MAKE IT 30-29 🔥🔥🔥@RafaelNadal wins the battle against the World No. 1 @DjokerNole 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 and is now into the #RolandGarros semi-final! 🙌@rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/tZ5oDHu67U

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 31, 2022

Nadal did not want to focus on his difficult buildup to Roland Garros, which included a six-week recovery from a rib fracture and continued issues with his chronic foot injury. Instead, he preferred to look ahead to the opportunity he has afforded himself: He’s now two wins away from claiming his 14th Roland Garros title and his 22nd major crown, both of which would extend his own records.

“In the end, it has been a very emotional night for me,” he said. “I’m still playing for nights like today. But it’s just a quarter-final match, no? So I didn’t win anything. So I just give myself a chance to be back on court in two days, play another semi-finals here in Roland Garros. It means a lot to me.”

Nadal is confident in his ability to recharge mentally and emotionally for his Friday meeting with Alexander Zverev. 

“If I am not playing good or if I am losing in that semi-finals match, [it is] not going to be because I’m not going to be focussed… I have experience on that. I am not the kind of guy and player that emotionally goes high and low. I am very stable, I think, emotionally.

“I know how the things works, no? It’s the moment to enjoy today, because [it has] been a beautiful night for me, without a doubt. Very emotional one. But tomorrow [I’m] going to start thinking about things that I need to do to be ready for that semi-finals. The main goal is be focused on [keeping] the level that I have been playing today.”

The Spaniard will also take full advantage of his two rest days after winning a pair of four-plus-hour matches against Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime. He battled the Serbian for four hours and 11 minutes to improve to 29-30 in their ATP Head2Head series, including an 8-2 edge at Roland Garros.

Looking back on his rivalry with Djokovic, Nadal was keen to put his latest victory in perspective.

“This is one more episode. That’s it,” he reflected. “We played… in the most important events, in the most important matches for a lot of years, and it’s always special to play against each other.

“Tonight has been just a quarter-final match, not the final. So that’s different. But still a super classic match and in a big scenario.”

He then broadened his scope to include Roger Federer. The Big Three were level on 20 Grand Slam titles until Nadal’s January triumph at the Australian Open.

“Between Novak, Roger, myself, we have an amazing story together facing each other in the most important matches for such a long time. So that makes things more special and more emotional.

“Of course there is always a conversation about the player who’ll finish with more Slams or who is the best [in] history, but from my perspective [it] doesn’t matter that much. We achieved our dreams. We made history in this sport because we did things that didn’t happen before.

“So from my perspective… the level of [us] three is very equal. It’s not much difference, so [it] doesn’t matter.”

Novak Djokovic was full of praise for Rafael Nadal on Wednesday following their mammoth quarter-final battle at Roland Garros.

Meeting for the 59th time, the World No. 1 and the Spaniard when toe to toe for four hours and 11 minutes on Philippe Chatrier Court, with Nadal walking out the winner in four sets.

“Congratulations to Nadal. He was a better player I think in important moments,” Djokovic admitted in his post-match press conference. “[He] started very well. I didn’t start so great, 2-6, 0-3, double break down. I was gaining momentum as I was coming back in the second set, managed to win the second set, and I thought, I’m back in the game.

“But then he had another two, three fantastic games at the beginning of the third. He was just able to take his tennis to another level in those, particularly moments at the beginning of all sets except the fourth…. he showed why he’s a great champion. Staying mentally tough and finishing the match the way he did. Congrats to him and his team. No doubt he deserved it.”

The Serbian lifted his second Roland Garros crown last year and arrived in Paris in strong form as he looked to retain his title. The 35-year-old captured a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome last month and entered his meeting with Nadal on a nine-match and 21-set winning streak.

However, in front of a packed crowd, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was unable to outmanoeuvre the World No. 5 in the crucial moments. Nadal will continue the quest for a record-extending 22nd major when he faces Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday.

“I had my chances. I had my chances in the fourth [set],” Djokovic said as he reflected on squandering a 5-2 lead in the fourth set. “Served for the set, couple set points. Just one or two shots could have taken me into a fifth. Then it’s really anybody’s match.”

Nadal now leads Djokovic 8-2 at Roland Garros. However, the Serbian holds a 30-29 ATP Head2Head series advantage overall. Djokovic leaves Paris 16-5 on the season and said that despite the defeat, he was proud of his efforts in the French capital.

“I gave my best. I know I could have played better,” Djokovic said. “I’m proud of fighting and staying until the last shot. As I said, I lost to a better player today. Had my chances. Didn’t use them. That’s it. Over four hours’ battle and I have to accept this defeat.”

Rafael Nadal has won the 59th installment of his legendary rivalry against Novak Djokovic, advancing to the Roland Garros semi-finals with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) victory in a match that began Tuesday night and finished after 1 a.m Wednesday morning in Paris.

The Spaniard led by a set and a double break before Djokovic stormed back to level, but Nadal reasserted himself with a dominant third set. It was the World No. 1 who started strongest in the fourth, but Nadal saved two set points to deny his attempt to serve out the set and force a decider. Three days ahead of his 36th birthday, Nadal powered to victory in a one-sided tie-break.

“It has been a very emotional night for me. I’m still playing for nights like today,” Nadal said in his post-match press conference. “But it’s just a quarter-final match, no? So I didn’t win anything. So I just [need to] give myself a chance to be back on court in two days, play another semifinals here in Roland Garros. [It] means a lot to me.”

Nadal gains a measure of revenge after his semi-final loss one year ago at Roland Garros — the most recent meeting between the pair. By ending Djokovic’s title defence, Nadal moves within two victories of a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd major crown. Had Djokovic advanced, he would have had a golden opportunity to tie Nadal by winning his 21st Grand Slam title.

Nadal is now guaranteed to remain the leader of the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin after Paris, priming himself for a shot at finishing year-end World No. 1. The victory also lifts the left-hander ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

“He showed why he’s a great champion,” Djokovic said in press. “Staying there mentally tough and finishing the match the way he did. Congrats to him and his team. No doubt he deserved it.”

🤩 What a set! What a comeback! 🤩

🤔 Is 14 next for @RafaelNadal ?#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/0Wa4mjZoau

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022

Nadal improved to 29-30 in this ATP Head2Head series by breaking serve seven times on 17 chances, including twice in each of the first three sets. He saved eight of the 12 break points he faced.

The Spaniard has now won consecutive matches of four-plus hours. After defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday after four hours and 20 minutes, he moved past Djokovic in four hours and 11 minutes. Nadal entered the tournament under a cloud of doubt due to his chronic foot injury and played just two clay events prior to Roland Garros after a six-week layoff due to a rib fracture. But he looked as fit as ever as he improved to 15-1 in the Roland Garros quarter-finals. 

After two days of rest, Nadal will face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals after the third-seeded German knocked off Carlos Alcaraz earlier on Tuesday.

Djokovic entered the quarter-final on a nine match win streak, winning 22 straight sets dating back to his ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Rome. He was also on an 11-match win streak at Roland Garros, matching his longest run in Paris (2016-17).

While Nadal and Djokovic are familiar foes — especially at Roland Garros, where Nadal now holds an 8-2 head-to-head edge — their quarter-final is also a match of historic firsts: It is the first time in the Open era that a men’s match has featured two men with at least 20 Grand Slam wins, 1,000 match wins or 300 Grand Slam match wins.

“Of course we have a lot of history together,” Nadal added. “A lot of important moments playing against each other. That’s the truth. In that case, [it] always is a special match, playing against Novak.

“Tonight [was] just a quarter-final match, not the final… But still a super classic match and in a big scenario. Between Novak, Roger [Federer], myself — we have an amazing story together facing each other in the most important matches for such a long time. So that makes things more special and more emotional.”

First Set

Nadal and Djokovic both put on a show in the opening set of their Roland Garros quarter-final, but Nadal struck the first heavy blows to win it, 6-2. While the scoreline was one-sided, the majority of the rallies were enthralling back-and-forth affairs with both men battling for supremacy in a high-octane chess match from the baseline.

The Spaniard broke serve in a 10-minute opening game to take the early initiative, then saved a pair of break points to hold for 3-1 before blitzing through the rest of the set. Djokovic employed several drop shots to varying success, while Nadal attacked the net nine times, winning four of those points.

Nadal was sharp from the first ball and finished with a 12-6 winners-to-errors count, while Djokovic was a minus-1 by that measure, hitting eight winners and nine errors.

Second Set

Djokovic battled back from a double break down, winning six of the last seven games in a thrilling 6-4 set. 

Just as in the opening set, Nadal began set two with a crucial break of serve in a titanic opening game. After Djokovic survived for more than 13 minutes, Nadal took his seventh break point of the game to wrestle control of the match. Djokovic did not have a game point.

Nadal’s forehand was was at its buggy-whip best, and Djokovic began to press as he lost touch with the Spaniard. The Serbian found himself a double break down at 3-0 when Nadal bunted a winner after chasing down another drop shot.

But Djokovic stepped up the aggression to claw back to 3-3, drawing errors from Nadal for the first time in the match as he began to dictate off his own forehand wing. He won his fifth break point of a seven-deuce game to draw level, then fought off a break point to hold for 4-3 across four deuces. Those two crucial games following the 3-2 changeover lasted nearly 29 minutes.

With Nadal serving at 4-5, Djokovic dialled in with a slew of deep returns and broke for the third time in four return games to draw level after two hours and 18 minutes. The second set alone lasted one hour and 28 minutes.

The opening two sets mirror the start of their 2021 semi-final, when Nadal took a 6-3 opener before Djokovic answered with a 6-3 second. That set the stage for an all-time-classic third set, which Djokovic won in a tie-break. The Serbian’s four-set comeback was the first time since 2014 in this rivalry that the player losing the first set came back to win.

Third Set

Three sets, three instant breaks for Nadal. And for the second straight set, he claimed an early double-break advantage behind blistering baseline play. This time, it proved to be more than enough as he closed with no trouble, wrapping up the set just after midnight. 

The 6-2 set gave the Spaniard a two-sets-to-one lead and dispelled any thoughts of lingering fatigue following his five-set triumph over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. After Nadal fought off a break point to hold for 3-1, he secured his second break — his sixth of the match — and never gave Djokovic a chance to tighten the score.

The Serbian, after attacking with such consistency in his second-set comeback, made 16 unforced errors to seven winners in the set. Nadal, who has had a positive ratio in all three sets, hit eight winners and six errors in the third.

Fourth Set

Nadal claimed victory by winning the 19th tie-break contested by the pair, improving his record to 10-9 in tie-break sets against the Serbian.

The Spaniard surrendered an early break in the set and trailed 3-5 as Djokovic stepped up to serve for the set. But after not creating a break point in the set, the Spaniard erased two set points to make his breakthrough. It took nine minutes before Nadal converted on his second break chance of the game to stay alive in the set. 

Djokovic had saved 14 of 17 break points entering the match, but faced 17 against Nadal alone, saving 10. The Spaniard saved eight of the 12 break points he faced in the quarter-final. 

With the momentum firmly on his side, Nadal raced to a 6-1 lead in the tie-break and ultimately closed it out on his fourth match point.

Giants of the game. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/cExSy3z6H4

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2022

Djokovic briefly stemmed the tide early in the set to hold off a trademark Chatrier charge from Nadal, but could not hold off the final wave of brilliance from his opponent. The Serbian made a fast start to the fourth, in sharp contrast to the previous three sets. For the first time in the match, he held his opening service game. Djokovic was able to pull Nadal around the baseline with regularity in the early stages of the set, and he capitalised on an early break point on the way to a 3-0 lead.

Even as Nadal stayed in rallies with bewildering squash shots, Djokovic held his nerve and pushed his lead to 5-2. But once Nadal clawed the break back, he commanded the close of the match to emerge a deserving winner.

Leading by two sets to one and with a chance to clinch his quarter-final clash at Roland Garros with Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth-set tie-break, Alexander Zverev decided to gamble.

“It is one shot that I like to do,” said Zverev in his post-match press conference when asked about the backhand down-the-line return winner that sealed his 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) victory on Tuesday. “I have done it a lot in my career.

“I had to win the match myself. I feel like you’re either going to miss it by a country mile or going to hit a winner. So, I hit a winner, which I’m quite pleased about.”

The final point was a microcosm of Zverev’s approach to the match. The third seed seemed intent on dictating play from the start on Court Philippe Chatrier, where aggressive serving and groundstrokes powered him to a two-set lead over the Spaniard. Zverev believes that mindset was crucial in securing his maiden win over a Top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam.

“I think Carlos is one of the best players in the world right now. It seems quite impossible to beat him. But I knew that I had to play my absolute best from the first point on.

“Letting him go ahead in the match, letting him get the confidence was going to be a very difficult thing for me to come back from. In the end I’m happy that I won in four sets and didn’t have to go to a fifth set.”

As he moves within two matches of a maiden Grand Slam crown in Paris, Zverev acknowledged his expectations have changed when it comes to big matches at the majors.

“At the end of the day, I’m not 20 or 21 years old anymore,” said Zverev. “I’m 25. I am at the stage where I want to win, I’m at the stage where I’m supposed to win, as well.

“We still have the best players in the world playing with Novak [Djokovic], Rafa [Nadal], and Roger [Federer] is coming back. Then you have the new generation, but I think our generation is very strong as well. We have [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, [Daniil] Medvedev who is a US Open champion. I won big events like the Olympics, as well.”

The sort of resilience he showed in withstanding a strong Alcaraz fightback will be key for Zverev if he wants to progress further at the clay-court Grand Slam, where he faces World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. No matter who his opponent is, the German hopes that Tuesday’s performance will stand him in good stead.

“There is a reason why they are the best in the world at Grand Slams,” said Zverev. “One [Nadal] has 21, the other one [Djokovic] has 20. They have been top of the game for the past 15, 20 years, and there is a big reason for that.

“Yes, I have not beaten them in majors, but I feel like I was very close. I feel like I have had very difficult and tough matches against them…But there is a big difference between having a tough match and beating them.

“Hopefully I can manage and take this win today and put it on the court on Friday.”

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros for the first time together on Tuesday, overcoming sixth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The Spanish-Argentine pair has won six tour-level titles as a team, including four ATP Masters 1000 crowns. However, they are searching for a maiden Grand Slam trophy in Paris this week.

In a hard-fought performance, the fourth seeds converted both break points they had to advance after one hour and 55 minutes. Koolhof and Skupski have been the standout pair on the ATP Tour in 2022. They have won a Tour-leading four titles this season and are currently No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Teams Rankings.

Granollers and Zeballos will next play Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek. The Croatian-American tandem came back from the brink, edging Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 3-6, 7-6(9), 7-6(10).

Dodig and Krajicek saved one match point in the second set and then a further four match points in the decider to upset the top seeds in two hours and 36 minutes.

The unseeded tandem are competing together for the fourth time this season and arrived in Paris in form. They captured the trophy in Lyon earlier this month and have now won their past eight matches.