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Novak Djokovic faces an anxious wait to seek out out if a knee harm will derail his Olympic gold medal dream after reaching the semi-finals on Thursday as outdated rival Andy Murray slipped into retirement. On a dramatic day at Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen ended Iga Swiatek’s 25-match unbeaten streak in Paris to develop into the primary Chinese language participant to succeed in an Olympic singles last. Defending males’s champion Alexander Zverev was knocked out and took a bitter swipe on the crammed Video games schedule.
Djokovic stated he was “hoping for the most effective” after aggravating his injured proper knee, which had required surgical procedure in June, throughout his 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas within the quarter-finals.
The 37-year-old wanted on-court therapy and a painkiller after slipping on the baseline of Court docket Philippe Chatrier.
He recovered from 0-4 after which 2-5 down within the second set, saving three set factors within the ninth recreation, earlier than racing away with the tie-break.
The Serb faces Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Friday within the final 4.
‘Involved’
“I am involved concerning the state of the knee. I’ve to go and study it with medical employees after which let’s examine,” stated Djokovic.
“I am taking part in at 7:00 pm tomorrow, which supplies me barely extra time. However I am hoping I could be prepared and be optimistic. I’ve to be.”
The 24-time Grand Slam title winner continues to be in search of a primary Olympic gold medal, having to date managed only a bronze in Beijing in 2008.
He’s via to his fourth Olympic semi-final.
Musetti shocked Zverev 7-5, 7-5 because the world quantity 16 grew to become the primary Italian to succeed in the semi-finals since tennis returned to the Olympics at Seoul 1988.
Zverev stated sickness was partly chargeable for his defeat but additionally blasted the schedule as “a shame” after taking part in his quarter-final lower than a day after his last-16 tie.
Alcaraz, again at Roland Garros the place he received a maiden French Open in June, grew to become the youngest Olympic semi-finalist since Djokovic in 2008.
The second seed noticed off Thirteenth-ranked Tommy Paul of the US 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) after recovering from a break down within the second set and saving a set level within the tie-break.
“It is all concerning the combat,” stated Alcaraz, 21, who was taking part in the day after he and Rafael Nadal suffered a heartbreaking doubles loss in what was most likely the veteran’s last look at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz will subsequent face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat sixth-seeded Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open runner-up, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 6-3.
Murray’s profession got here to an finish when he and Dan Evans misplaced to American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4 within the males’s doubles quarter-finals.
Former world primary and three-time Grand Slam title winner Murray, 37, had already introduced that the Olympics can be his final occasion.
‘Proud’ Murray
“I am pleased with my profession, my achievements and what I put into the game,” stated Murray.
“Clearly it was emotional as a result of it is the final time I’ll play a aggressive match. However I’m genuinely joyful simply now. I am proud of the way it completed.”
Seventh-ranked Zheng triumphed 6-2, 7-5 over world primary Swiatek and can face Donna Vekic in Saturday’s gold medal match.
Croatia’s Vekic breezed previous Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-0.Â
“Should you ask me to play one other three hours for my nation, I’d,” stated Zheng, who had performed back-to-back three-hour matches to make the semi-final.
Swiatek, 23, a four-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, had defeated Zheng in all of their six earlier conferences however she was hit off courtroom by the highly effective 21-year-old Australian Open finalist.
Zheng is the primary Chinese language man or girl to succeed in an Olympic singles gold medal match, bettering the run of Li Na, who completed fourth within the ladies’s occasion at Beijing in 2008.
China’s solely Olympics tennis gold got here because of Li Ting and Solar Tiantian within the ladies’s doubles at Athens in 2004.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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