Marathon thriller! Alexander Zverev starts the French Open with a win
After a marathon thriller, Alexander Zverev started the French Open three days after winning the tournament in Geneva with a hard-won victory. The match in the live ticker!
by SID
last edit: May 29, 2019, 10:27 am
At the end of a marathon thriller, Alexander Zverev had little strength left to cheer. He raised his arms slowly and not too high. After the appreciative pat for his unruly opponent and thanks to the Parisian audience, he first squatted on Roland Garros' red ashes. "I'm further, that's all that matters," he gasped after 4:08 tough, but sometimes also gripping hours in the main square "Philippe Chartier", where he had chopped his racket with anger after the fourth set.
In adverse external conditions with gusty wind, the fifth in the world rankings moved after a given 2-0 set lead with 7: 6 (7: 4), 6: 3, 2: 6, 6: 7 (5: 7) 6: 3 against John Millman from Australia in the second round of the French Open. "I knew it was going to be a tough match. John played incredibly and made my life very difficult," said Zverev. In fact, given the 73 so-called "unforced errors" including 14 double errors, the ATP champion also had to touch its own nose.
Three days after winning the tournament in Geneva, Zverev struggled with the tough number 56 in the world rankings after a quick 4-1 lead from the middle of the first set. Again and again he had to fight back for breaks from his opponent, again and again he had problems keeping his serve, again and again he made slight mistakes. Almost every game was contested. His next opponent is the Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer.
Zverev gives 4: 2 lead in set four
Zverev, who had achieved his best result in a Grand Slam last year by reaching the quarter-finals in Paris, quickly found the match in changeable weather with wind, drizzle and sunshine, but then lost his focus and line. From game to game, mistakes crept in for which 29-year-old Millman, a solid but one-dimensional baseline player, just had to wait.
# BETATHOMEFO #
Some terrific 57 "winners" alternated with "unforced errors" including numerous double errors at Zverev. Like last week in Geneva, where he won a tournament for the eleventh time and for the fifth time on clay despite poor performance, he was at least able to rely on his fighting spirit to get the first two sets. Then Zverev had to pay for his high error rate.
The tough struggle for every point continued from the third set, but this time with success for Millman, who took the serve from the German to 4: 2 and 6: 2. Zverev countered in the fourth set with a break to 2-0 - but again he took advantage. Millman won twelve of the next 13 points, went 5-4 and used his fourth set point in the tie-break. The 22-year-old from Hamburg smashed his racket with anger - but then kept his nerve.
Last year, Zverev had started the French Open with a three-set win and then had to play three five-set matches. After that, he was so weak that he clearly failed Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals.
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