Alexander Zverev moves into the round of 16 after a great effort
Not always nice, but successful: Alexander Zverev defeats the Finn Emil Russuvuori 7: 5, 1: 6 and 7: 5. Light and shadow alternated with the German. But with a small change in tactics and a lot of fighting power in the third set, he finally pulled the tooth out of his opponent.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Mar 13, 2023, 12:19 am
At the beginning of the match, both players were still a bit nervous. Zverev conceded the break early to make it 1: 3, but was able to repeat it directly. Long ground line duels and a similar style of play by the two opponents followed. The longer sentence one lasted, the more Zverev took command. Also because his Finnish opponent made more and more mistakes. In contrast, Alexander Zverev. He could rely on his serve in tight situations. Not a matter of course in the game of German. Accordingly, he ended the first set with an ace to make it 7:5.
But anyone who believed that winning the first set would give the German favorites security was mistaken. Zverev conceded an early break after a long service game to make it 0: 2 for Russuvuori. He was able to confirm the break and pull away to 3:0. Zverev sought advice in Russian from his father Alexander senior, who, buried under a towel, was watching his son's match in the Olympic champion's box. But it didn't help. Hardly anything came together in set two. After the second break to 0:4, the sentence was actually almost over. It was 1: 6 at the end of the round from Alexander Zverev's point of view.
And as if the second sentence hadn't existed, Zverev went into the third sentence with full confidence. He earned the early break and quickly took a 3-0 lead. Striking: The German was less involved in long baseline duels and more often looked for his way to the net - with success. Also every now and then with serve & volley. Zverev on the road to victory. But suddenly he seemed to run out of fuel. He curled up behind the baseline and rebuilt his opponent. At 4:4, however, he fended off five breakballs and took a 5:4 lead. Russuvuori didn't hesitate and was able to equalize to 5:5. But Zverev stayed calm, his serve came back and at 6: 5 he was able to use his first match ball after almost three hours of play to make it 7: 5 in the third set.