Alex de Minaur suffers devastating blow against Alexander Zverev at French Open

Alex de Minaur has been knocked out of the French Open in a devastating scene where the crowd was heard booing.

Alex de Minaur’s epic French Open campaign is over.

The Australian will be cursing himself after he let golden opportunities slip through his fingers before his opponent Alexander Zverev finally prevailed 6-4 7-6 6-4 in three tight sets that stretched over three hours.

Fourth seed Zverev will play Casper Ruud for a place in Sunday’s final after the Norwegian received a walkover following Novak Djokovic’s injury-enforced withdrawal.

The Australian had been in uncharted territory with a chance to become the first Aussie man to reach the French Open semi-finals since 1997.

The “Demon” had been on fire on the Paris clay and his run through to the quarter-finals made him one of the most-loved players left in the men’s draw.

Despite de Minaur having the crowd at his back, it was Zverev that stood tall in the big moments and won in straight sets despite winning just eight total points more than de Minaur.

The crowd was actively cheering against Zverev and booing was heard inside the stadium.

7.45am — Demon’s comeback ends in brutal fashion

Alex de Minaur brought the crowd on Philippe Chatrier Stadium to their feet when he broke back when Alexander Zverev served for the match for the first time.

De Minaur was two points away from being knocked out when he fought back to break Zverev’s serve when down 5-3 in the third set.

After appearing to have turned the match, de Minaur lost his next service game to gift Zverev a spot in the semi-finals.

De Minaur went down an early break in the third set and it appeared to be a devastating blow as he dropped his head and began looking openly frustrated.

Alex de Minaur wasn't happy. Photo: 9Now.

There was one moment early in the set where de Minaur tried to run around to hit a powerful forehand, but his shot sailed long.

He clearly wasn’t happy with himself and turned on his player’s box to vent his frustrations.

De Minaur appeared to be mocking himself as he barked: “I don’t ever want to hear that I’ve got power. Ever.

“I don’t ever want to hear that I’ve got power.”

Zverev is on an 11-match winning streak after clinching the Rome title last month, but he has never reached the final at Roland Garros.

“I’m happy to be in another semi-final. Hopefully I can win one,” said Zverev, who defeated 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in the first round of this year’s tournament.

Zverev was defeated by Ruud in straight sets in the semi-finals of the French Open in 2023.

— with AFP

7am — Crushing blow as de Minaur botches set point

After losing the first set 6-4, De Minaur steadied in the second set and looked the better player at times.

He had set point at 6-5, but was unable to convert.

However, it is his failure to take the tiebreak after leading 4-0 that will hurt the most.

There was a particularly tense moment when Zverev was given a time violation warning while serving to stay in the second set.

However, the German composed himself to come back and take the set despite the crowd roaring in support of de Minaur.

Alex de Minaur and his biggest fan. Photo: Twitter and Roland Garros.

6.30am — Superfan steals show

Earlier, it was the 25-year-old de Minaur’s superfan Paul that stole the show.

Paul’s diehard support of De Minaur has melted hearts in recent days since De Minaur made a public call to find young fan “Paul” and to bring him to all his matches for the rest of the tournament.

Tournament organisers on Thursday morning took the classy step of gifting Paul a full kit of de Minaur gear and apparel from his Asics sponsor.

Earlier, the top-ranked Aussie became the first Australian man to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.

He is already guaranteed to climb up to at least No. 9 on the ATP Rankings when it is re-adjusted on Monday.

Zverev, meanwhile, gives French Open officials a huge headache with the controversial German still facing a court case in Germany.

The optics of Zverev lifting the trophy is something few French fans want to see.

Zverev has been allowed to continue to play on the international circuit despite an ongoing court case where he has been accused of intentional bodily harm and intentional choking of his previous partner Brenda Patea.