Battling Zverev scrapes through
NIGHTMARE: GERMAN STAR WAS REALLY OUT-OF-SORTS
His 73 unforced errors included dropping serve eight times and seven double faults.
Paris
German second seed Alexander Zverev saved a match point and survived a second successive French Open scare yesterday, coming back to defeat Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in five sets to reach the fourth round for the first time.
World No 29 Dzumhur also served for the match in the fourth set, but Zverev clung on and battled to a 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 victory.
Zverev, 21, who is seen as the main threat to Rafael Nadal’s expected coronation as champion for an 11th time, endured a nightmare outing on Court Philippe Chatrier before claiming victory after almost four hours of play.
He hit 73 unforced errors, dropped serve eight times and served up seven double faults.
He had to save a match point in the 10th game of the decider before breaking and holding to make the last-16 for the first time. He will face either French 15th seed Lucas Pouille or Russia’s Karen Khachanov.
“It was an amazing, high-level match,” said Zverev. “It was the first time I have won on this court and I hope there are many more to come.”
Zverev, who also had to fight back from two sets to one down in the second round against Serbian Dusan Lajovic, is looking to become the first German man to win the title since 1937.
Fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov was knocked out by Fernando Verdasco, with the Spaniard winning 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-4 in his 350th claycourt match.
Verdasco, 34, will next face either compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut or former champion Novak Djokovic for a quarter-final spot. It is the seventh time the world number 35 has reached the French Open fourth round, but it is the only Grand Slam tournament where he is yet to make the last eight.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori made short work of home hope Gilles Simon as he saw off Simon 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.
In the women’s draw, US Open runner-up Madison Keys beat Japanese 21st seed Naomi Osaka 6-1, 7-6 (9/7).
Russian youngster Daria Kasatkina overcame a second-set blip to see off Maria Sakkari 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, while Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, a quarter-finalist in 2016, beat China’s Wang Qiang 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. –