Bug Bite and Bugle Calls: Zverev and Sinner Advance
In addition to Zverev's already formidable mountain, the German had to overcome a mosquito.
During the second set, Zverev swallowed the bug, leaned over, and took a minute to gather himself.
Sinner defeated Kazakh Alexander Bublik in straight sets earlier on Wednesday, securing his place in the round of four.
Last year's runner-up, Zverev, who has yet to win a Grand Slam trophy, got off to a great start and broke Djokovic in the opening set.
The German maintained that lead to win the opening set, trying to become one of only three men in the Open Era to make it to the French Open semifinals in five straight years, along with the Serb, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
Aware that he would not be able to equal his 28-year-old opponent in terms of fitness, Djokovic attempted to shorten rallies by using an increasing number of drop shots, totaling 35, to drive the towering Zverev into the net.
Djokovic was ahead 4-1 before Zverev could respond, having broken his opponent at 2-1 in the 2nd set. With another drop shot, he won the second set.
After that, the veteran broke Zverev two more times to win the third set, as his opponent was losing steam, was inaccurate, and had no obvious backup plan.
Djokovic took a 2-0 lead and was well on his way to victory after another break at the beginning of the fourth set. He then finished on his 5th match point to go to the 51st Grand Slam semifinal, which is a record.
Earlier, Sinner defeated Kazakh showman Bublik with characteristic efficiency, continuing his unrelenting quest for his first French Open crown.
Britain's Jack Draper and Australia's Alex de Minaur, two top-10 seeds, had been eliminated by Bublik on their way to the round of eight, but Sinner's 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 triumph made sure that would not happen again.
After his victories at the US Open last year and the Australian Open in January, Sinner's nearly faultless victory in only one hour and forty-nine minutes made him the first Italian player to participate in six Grand Slam semifinals and increased his winning streak in the majors to 19 games.
Sinner has lost 36 games overall in his 5 matches thus far, but he has yet to drop a set.
After a chilly, wet morning, the roof of the Court Philippe Chatrier opened, and Sinner quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Bublik scored and threatened to upset the top seed.
Sinner won the 1st set easily but struggled in the second as Bublik used drop shots, keeping it level after ten games.
Sinner pounced after an unexpected dip, and the 3-time Grand Slam winner broke and held comfortably to end the world No. 62's hopes of a comeback and take a two-set lead.
In the 3rd set, the one-way traffic resumed. Bublik tried an underarm serve to avoid a double break but failed, and Sinner secured the win to face Djokovic in the semi-finals.
