Novak Djokovic closed in on a potential blockbuster French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz after beating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 yesterday to reach the last four.

Djokovic, chasing a third French Open crown and record 23rd men’s Grand Slam Singles title, advanced to a 45th major semi-final and his 12th at Roland Garros. On June 9, he will take on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz for a place in Sunday’s championship match.

Djokovic improved his record at Roland Garros to 90-16 after denying Khachanov his spot in a third successive Grand Slam semi-final. He will return to No. 1 if he wins the title in Paris.

Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic reached the French Open semi-finals for the first time with a straight sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday. The world number 43 came through 7-5, 6-2 over the 333rd-ranked Russian who was runner-up in Paris in 2021.

A semi-finalist at the Australian Open two years ago, Muchova will face World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus tomorrow (June 8).