As always in the past evenings at the respective night matches on the Court Philippe-Chatrier, at some point there was a message on the large video wall when the last metros would run. The 10 line, for example, was scheduled to leave the nearest station, Michel-Ange-Molitor, for the last time that night at 12:40 a.m. It’s hard to believe, but: Paris goes to sleep too. The clock ticked and ticked, and when Alexander Zverev finally won this changeable game late at night, it was up to the spectators to sprint to the subway station. It was already 12:18 a.m. when the German tennis pro and the American Frances Tiafoe shook hands. The 26-year-old German prevailed 3: 6, 7: 6 (3), 6: 1, 7: 6 (5) after 3:41 hours, making Zverev in the round of 16 at Roland Garros for the sixth time in a row.
For his colleague Daniel Altmaier, the evening was much shorter and less pleasant. The 24-year-old from Kempen missed his second round of 16 in Paris after 2020. After the marathon match in the second round against Jannik Sinner from South Tyrol over 5:26 hours, his strength was visibly reduced. Against Grigor Dimitrow, ATP World Champion 2017, he lost 4: 6, 3: 6, 1: 6 in 2:07 hours. The Bulgarian, who is experiencing a better season after a long phase of weakness on the tour, unwound his Federer-like tennis – his movements are very similar to his former role model – like at his best. In the round of the last 16, Zverev, who had hoped for a German duel, now meets Dimitrov.
In the short interview on the pitch, Zverev said: “I love tennis more than anything else. I’m so happy to fight again on this pitch.” He remembered with a smile that exactly a year ago, on June 3, 2022, in the semi-final against Rafael Nadal, he tore multiple ligaments in his right foot on the baseline. His relief was evident in his every word.
Zverev started the game as the first server. The conditions were ideal. The night before at the so-called night session of the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz against the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who was then clearly inferior, it was as cold as in February on Sylt, which is why many spectators wrapped themselves in blankets, the temperature was just after half past eight the 20 degrees. Of course there was wind, Zverev had rightly mentioned that he had not yet played a French Open where it whistled and blew as much as this year. Tiafoe has so far been an opponent who was Zverev, the balance was 6: 1 in his favor, with – more important – Zverev in all three duels in Melbourne at the Australian Open, in Wimbledon (each in 2017) and in New York at the US Open (2019) was able to prevail.
The 25-year-old from Hyattsville in Maryland can look back on an eventful life story. His parents fled to the USA to escape the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. Father Constant was a day laborer in construction and helped set up the youth tennis center in College Park, Maryland. After completion, Constant was hired as manager and lived on the property, where Frances would also stay for years. Tiafoe really worked her way up from the bottom.
Man with an eventful life story: Frances Tiafoe.
(Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP)
In the tennis scene, the American is known as one of the brightest guys around, but he’s also a tough, passionate fighter who made tennis life difficult for Zverev in this match. It was he who had the first two breakballs at 3:3 and 15:40, he used the second to make it 4:3. Zverev then blundered again in the first set, with a double fault he lost the next service game to 3: 6.
In the third set, Zverev fell on the baseline, but: nothing happened
Tiafoe’s game is idiosyncratic, he pushes his backhand more than he hits it, the forehand movement is angular but effective. He can create some really nice topspin arc lights that are hard and hit the corners of the court with pinpoint accuracy. Zverev had his problems with the mix of shots that Tiafoe offered. Strangely, Zverev got better as the wind picked up. He immediately managed the break to make it 1-0 in the second set. But Tiafoe, trained by former professional Wayne Ferreira from South Africa, countered and swept away Zverev’s service game to make it 2-2.
It hadn’t been a good match up until then, especially on the part of Zverev, who acted much more erratically and imprecisely than in the second round against Slovakian Alex Molcan. Tiafoe radiated energy, Zverev seemed more vulnerable, which was also evidenced by four double errors up to this point. But the moment when someone called out, “Sascha, I love you!” was really funny. An ace from Zverev followed. He then missed four break chances until the two arrived in the tie-break – Zverev was as offensive as he can be. He rewarded himself immediately.
A brief moment of shock followed in the first game of the third set, Zverev fell on the baseline, but nothing happened to him. However, he conceded the break, but immediately countered. And now Zverev had found his game, while Tiafoes’ resistance dwindled in the third set. The fourth set initially remained open, but then it got wild. Both made more mistakes than winners. Zverev was 3: 5 behind, 5: 5, 6: 6. Another tiebreaker. And again Zverev prevailed.