Tennis star Alexander Zverev emerges triumphant in gripping match.
In the next stage of the French Open, Alexander Zverev nearly gets defeated by the underdog Tallon Griekspoor. Yet, he can still aim for his initial Grand Slam trophy in Paris.
Tennis Olympic champion Alexander Zverev narrowly evades a dejecting third-round loss at the French Open and can push forward towards his title aspirations in Paris. The 27-year-old faced two straight set defeats within the tournament, but he snuck out a victory against the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor after 4 hours and 14 minutes, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10-3).
Zverev has reached the quarterfinals at the clay-based Grand Slam event for the seventh successive time. His upcoming quarterfinal clash will pit him against either Danish Holger Rune or the Slovakian Jozef Kovalik's winner.
Prior to that, Jan-Lennard Struff saw a defeat in the third round. The 34-year-old lost his encounter against the 11th-seeded Australian Alex De Minaur, who endured a prolonged rain interruption, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 3-6.
Becker slates subpar beginning
Zverev had a disagreeable start on the closed Court Philippe Chatrier and rapidly surrendered a break to 0-2, which he couldn't counter in the first set. "He didn't seem appealing in the first hour, he was physically off and somewhat not present on the court," said tennis legend Boris Becker at Eurosport. "I had a bit of a stomach ache."
From mid-second set onwards, Zverev played more forcefully and committed significantly fewer errors. He evened the set score and enthusiastically celebrated the tie with an emphatic "Let's go!". From then on, circumstances improved for the favorite, but he exhibited another inexplicable lapse in the fourth set.
Griekspoor, who had to be treated for a right thigh issue during the game, navigated his way into the fifth set - and notched his biggest upset by stealing two breaks. Nonetheless, Zverev rebounded. In the match tiebreak, Zverev's superior quality proved decisive. "That was astonishing," said Zverev after the contest.
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Alexander Zverev, having survived a challenging match, now sets his sights on potential victory in the French Open, aiming to secure his first Grand Slam trophy in Paris. Despite facing two set defeats within the tournament, Zverev managed to clinch a thrilling five-set victory against Tallon Griekspoor in the French Open, a win that places him in the quarterfinals of the clay-based Grand Slam tournament.
