Cheers after a great comeback
Alexander Zverev wins eternal tennis thriller
01.06.2024, 19:43
Alexander Zverev is having a tough time in the third round of the French Open, and the German tennis pro is close to being eliminated by the outsider Tallon Griekspoor. But in the end, Zverev can still hope for his first Grand Slam title.
Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev has struggled to avoid a disappointing third-round exit at the French Open and can continue his title mission in Paris. The 27-year-old suffered his first two set losses in the tournament, but fought his way to a 3:6, 6:4, 6:2, 4:6, 7:6 (10:3) victory against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor after 4 hours and 14 minutes.
The Hamburg native reached the round of 16 at the Grand Slam tournament on clay for the seventh time in a row. In the fight for a quarter-final ticket, Zverev will face the winner of the duel between the Dane Holger Rune and Jozef Kovalik from Slovakia.
Shortly before, Jan-Lennard Struff was eliminated in the third round. The 34-year-old lost his match, which was accompanied by a long rain interruption, against the number eleven seeded Australian Alex De Minaur 6:4, 4:6, 3:6, 3:6.
Becker criticizes weak start
Zverev got off to a weak start on the covered Philippe Chatrier court and immediately conceded a break to 0:2, which he was unable to make up in the first set. “I didn’t like him at all in the first hour, he was somehow not on the court physically and in terms of playing,” said tennis icon Boris Becker on Eurosport: “I had a bit of a stomach ache.”
From the middle of the second set, Zverev played with more pressure and made significantly fewer easy mistakes. The world number four celebrated the set tie emotionally and with a loud “Let’s go!” From then on, things went much better for the favorite, but he allowed himself another inexplicable weak phase in the fourth set.
Griekspoor, who had to be treated for his right thigh, fought his way to the fifth set thanks to his dangerous drop shots – and got off to a dream start with a break to make it 1-0. He extended his lead to 4-1 and was very close to his biggest win with a two-break lead, but Zverev fought back. In the match tiebreak, Zverev’s greater quality prevailed. “That was incredible, I enjoyed every second,” said Zverev after the match.