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Alexander Zverev Endures Epic Battle Against Tallon Griekspoor to Advance at French Open
World number four Alexander Zverev (27) survived a grueling encounter to defeat Tallon Griekspoor (27) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3) in the French Open third round on Saturday, keeping his hopes alive for a first Grand Slam title. Zverev, a semi-finalist for the past three years, had not lost a set in his first two matches, including a first-round victory over Rafael Nadal, but faced a tough challenge from the Dutch 26th seed.
“Wow, incredible match, incredible player, he’s unbelievably dangerous, I always struggle against him,” a relieved Zverev said. “I don’t like to play against him, but all the credit to him, taking it all the way. An incredible fighter to the end.”
Zverev was on the defensive early as Griekspoor broke serve and quickly built a 3-0 lead, ultimately taking the first set with ease. The second set, however, turned into a fierce contest. Zverev looked frustrated as he faced a break point at 1-1 in a game that extended to five deuces and nearly 11 minutes, but he managed to hold serve and eventually broke Griekspoor at 5-4 to level the match.
The German found his rhythm in the third set and appeared to be on the path to victory when Griekspoor took a medical timeout for a leg issue. Despite this, the Dutchman fought back to force a deciding set, where he gained a 4-1 lead after breaking Zverev’s serve twice. Zverev, however, rallied to win four consecutive games, bringing the match to a tiebreak.
In an enthralling contest that lasted over four hours on Court Philippe Chatrier, Zverev clinched the victory with an ace in the tiebreak.
“To be honest, the atmosphere today was unbelievable, I loved every single second of it,” Zverev said. “The support that I get here at this Grand Slam I don’t think I get at any other Grand Slam, so I really appreciate it.”
Zverev, now on a nine-match winning streak following his Italian Open victory, will face the winner of the rain-interrupted third-round match between Danish 13th seed Holger Rune and Slovakia’s Jozef Kovalik.
