Zverev downs Khachanov, enters quarters with another tough win
Alexander Zverev’s appetite for five-set marathons showed no signs of shrinking and even blisters on his toes could not stop the German from storming into his first Major quarter-final with a 4-6, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 French Open win over Karen Khachanov on Sunday.
The German had survived successive five-setters in the previous two rounds, including saving a match point against Damir Dzumhur in the last 32, but his fatigued legs and blistered feet again worked overtime to carry him over the finishing line against Khachanov.
After looking down and out for much of the third set, Zverev was fired up by a code violation for being coached from the stands by his father Alexander Sr midway through the fourth set and he vented his anger by instantly breaking for a 4-2 lead.
He was fortunate to survive a break point when serving for the set at 5-3, with Khachanov’s blazing forehand clipping the net cord and bouncing just millimetres behind the baseline, before drawing level at two sets apiece with an ace.
PARIS:
PAIN NO ISSUE
Despite calling on a trainer to treat blisters on his left toes before the start of the fifth set, the world number three zipped around with ease to break in the opening game of the decider and finished off the 38th-ranked Russian after three-and-a-half hours of pulsating action.
He will next play seventh seed Dominic Thiem who ended Kei Nishikori’s comeback to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-0 5-7 6-4 victory.
The Austrian seventh seed, the last man to beat claycourt machine Rafa Nadal on his favourite surface, displayed an impressive arsenal of weapons in the first two sets before regaining his composure after the loss of the third.
Japanese 19th seed Nishikori, on the comeback trail after he ended his 2017 season in midyear because of injury, seemed to lose interest in the match in the second set but eventually managed to put up a decent fight.
“The first two sets were amazing but then he raised his level and it was 50-50.
In the end it was very close and I was a bit nervous in the end as it is always hard to serve to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open,” said Thiem, a semi-finalist here in 2016 and 2017.
Juan Martin del Potro, meanwhile fired a menacing warning to those already writing Rafael Nadal’s name on the French Open title with a bludgeoning 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 third-round defeat of Spanish clay-courter Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Saturday.