PARIS: A crucial moment arrived more than 2 1/2 hours into Novak Djokovic鈥檚 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 French Open quarterfinal victory over Alexander Zverev. It was the fourth set, and Djokovic led, but Zverev was in possession of a break point and a chance to get back into Wednesday鈥檚 match.
They engaged in a 41-stroke exchange, the longest of a buggy and breezy night, and Djokovic came out on top, smacking a forehand winner. He stayed in place afterward, breathing heavily, with hands on hips, scanning the standing ovation from thousands of Court Philippe-Chatrier spectators.
Djokovic might be 38 now. He might have slogged through a pair of three-match losing skids this season and slid to No. 6 in the rankings. What hasn鈥檛 changed is Djokovic鈥檚 determination or his ability to be his best on big stages 鈥� and now he鈥檚 two wins from a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic proved too much for No. 3 seed Zverev, a man who鈥檚 a decade younger and was last year鈥檚 runner-up at Roland-Garros, and set up a semifinal against No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Earlier Wednesday, Sinner continued his overpowering run through the bracket by dismissing Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0. Sinner not only hasn鈥檛 dropped a set so far, but he has ceded a total of only 36 games through five matches.
So Friday will bring a tantalizing showdown between someone many consider the top player in tennis history, Djokovic, and someone who is at the top of the men鈥檚 game at the moment, Sinner. Djokovic and Sinner are tied 4-4 in their head-to-head series, but Sinner has won the last three matchups.
No one has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the rankings than Djokovic. No one has won more major championships or reached more major semifinals than his total that now stands at 51 after becoming the second-oldest man to get that far in Paris.
Sinner, 23, has won three of the past five Grand Slam titles. That includes last year鈥檚 US Open and this year鈥檚 Australian Open, so his unbeaten streak at majors is now at 19 matches. He鈥檚 also won his last 26 sets at those events.
鈥淗e鈥檚 playing fast. He鈥檚 playing smart,鈥� Bublik said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 in another dimension with all the aspects of the game.鈥�
Also an apt description for Djokovic, who repeatedly used drop shots to great effect against Zverev.
As for Sinner, no one other than Carlos Alcaraz has been able to beat him in his last 48 matches, a stretch that dates to last August. Sinner is 46-2 in that span, with both defeats coming against the French Open鈥檚 defending champion.
And as it happens, No. 2 Alcaraz is still around. He will meet No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti in Friday鈥檚 other semifinal.
There were some distractions in Djokovic vs. Zverev, including a bunch of tiny flying insects that the players kept trying to swat away and a back-and-forth between the chair umpire and some fans in the fourth set.
Needless to say, Djokovic handled it all much better. He also was superior in pretty much every way with the ball in play.
He was broken in the very first game 鈥� and then not again.
He broke Zverev four times 鈥� no small feat against a guy who had been broken a total of five times in his five previous matches.
And Djokovic鈥檚 29 unforced errors were far fewer than the 44 for Zverev.
It took Djokovic five match points to wrap this one up, and when he did, his face morphed from concentration to as wide a smile as can be.
The last time these two played each other was in the Australian Open semifinals in January, and Djokovic had to quit after one set because of an injured hamstring. The last time Djokovic played at the French Open, 12 months ago, he had to withdraw before the quarterfinals because he tore the meniscus in his right knee and needed surgery.
He sure looks in good shape at the moment.