With a performance that captivated all of Greece, Stefanos Tsitsipas managed to secure his spot in the Roland Garros final.

After a thrilling semifinal against Alexander Zverev, the 22-year-old champion defeated the 24-year-old German 3-2 in sets and became the first tennis player from Greece to reach a Grand Slam final.

Tsitsipas took a 2-0 lead, Zverev «fought back» and evened the score, but in the fifth set he was sensational (6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3) and will wait for the winner of tonight’s second semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to find out who he’ll face in Sunday’s final.

Tsitsipas: «The most important moment of my career»

Just as he has done since the start of the season in every match he has played, Tsitsipas was once again a joy to watch today. He withstood Zverev’s relentless barrage, which «came back» from a 2-0 deficit to 2-2, found ways to counter the German’s formidable serve, and in the fifth and decisive set, broke serve at just the right moment and never looked back.

The Greek champion got off to a very strong start and easily took the first two sets, 6-3, 6-3, not allowing his opponent—the world No. 6—to land any big shots. And just when it seemed like everything was going his way, Zverev managed to narrow the gap to 2-1 and then tie the match (6-4) in the same fashion, making the match even more exciting.

With the… momentum the German had built up and Tsitsipas’s «poor» response, things seemed to be getting even tougher, but at that point, the 22-year-old showed incredible resilience. He played with passion, hit some big winners off his opponent’s serve, and managed to take a 3-1 lead. From then on, he dictated the pace of the match and secured a huge victory, advancing to the final.

THEMIS TOGIAS