Tsitsipas overcomes Zverev fightback to reach first major final

PARIS: Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas staved off a fightback from German Alexander Zverev to win 6-3 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-3 in a scintillating French Open clash on Friday and book a maiden Grand Slam final spot.

Tsitsipas got an early break in the opening set, aided by two double faults from Zverev, and remained solid against the German's heavy groundstrokes to hold onto his narrow advantage on a sun-bathed Philippe Chatrier court. U.S. Open finalist Zverev built a 3-0 lead at the start of the second set but Tsitsipas showed exemplary athleticism and staunch defence to win the next six games, leaving Zverev staring at his coaching team bewildered.