French Open 2023 Men's Semifinal: Early Preview, Predictions for Updated Bracket

The 2023 French Open men's semifinals field is full of players with experience at this stage of a major.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic face off in the marquee match on Friday in Paris.

Alcaraz is the rising superstar of the men's game. He won the 2022 U.S. Open without Djokovic in the field, and now he has the chance to beat the Serbian star to reach his second major final in three tournaments.

Djokovic, the 22-time major champion, is looking to win a rare title in France, but like Rafael Nadal before him, Alcaraz could be the clay-court wizard that stands in his way of that achievement.

Casper Ruud has been as good as Alcaraz on the clay in recent years, and that could give him a slight edge over Alexander Zverev.

Zverev is looking to get back to a Grand Slam final for the first time since the 2020 U.S. Open, while Ruud is looking for his third major championship appearance since the start of 2021.

Ruud and Zverev are both in search of their first Grand Slam titles, and whomever wins their match will likely be an underdog against the Alcaraz-Djokovic winner on Sunday.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic

Mine Kasapoglu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 06: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece during the Menâs Singles Quarter Final match on Day Ten of the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France on June 06, 2023. (Photo by Mine Kasapoglu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The potential of an Alcaraz-Djokovic semifinal drew the attention of tennis fans once the men's singles draw was confirmed.

Friday's semifinal marks the first time the two stars will face off in a Grand Slam match.

Alcaraz won the 2022 U.S. Open without Djokovic or Nadal in the field, so this will be the first time he can go through one of the game's legends to win a major title.

No one has come close to challenging Alcaraz in Paris this year. He dropped one set in the second round against Taro Daniel.

Alcaraz is coming off his best match of the tournament in which he eliminated No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. The Spaniard dominated for two-and-a-half sets and then battled through a third-set tiebreak to win.

Djokovic faced more challenges to book his spot in the final four. He was pushed to five tiebreaks and lost one set in the quarterfinals against Karen Khachanov.

The No. 3 seed is 5-0 in tiebreaks over the last week-and-a-half in Paris, and his resiliency in those situations could be a vital quality to help him deal with Alcaraz.

Djokovic is at a disadvantage when it comes to playing on the clay court. He earned just two of his 22 major titles at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz mastered the surface more than Djokovic this year, as he won three clay court titles on the ATP Tour before the French Open.

The top seed's clay-court play could give him the edge over Djokovic, but no one is expecting the same level of dominance he displayed against Tsitsipas.

Prediction: Alcaraz over Djokovic in four sets.

Casper Ruud vs. Alexander Zverev

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PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 07: Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand against Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina during the Men's Singles Quarter Final match on Day Eleven of the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros on June 07, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)

Ruud and Zverev are two of three men to reach multiple French Open semifinals since 2020.

Ruud engineered a run to the men's singles final last year, and then lost in straight sets to Nadal.

The fourth-seeded Norwegian may not have to go through any of the game's most prestigious major champions if he beats Zverev and Alcaraz defeats Djokovic.

Ruud is the higher seed and most-recent finalist at Roland Garros in his matchup with Zverev, but the German player has more head-to-head victories.

Zverev beat Ruud twice in three career matches, all of which have taken place on hard courts.

Zverev produced a challenge to Nadal in last year's French Open semifinals before he withdrew with an ankle injury. He won eight points in a first-set tiebreak and the second set was level at 6-6 before the withdrawal.

The Ruud-Zverev matchup is level on paper, and it would not be surprising if the match went the distance, and in fact, ends up as a more entertaining showcase than the Alcaraz-Djokovic semifinal.

Ruud proved himself to be one of the premier clay-court players on the ATP Tour, as nine of his 10 career titles have come on the surface. His lengthy success on the clay could be the X-factor to winning a tightly-contested match.

Prediction: Ruud over Zverev in five sets.