2023-06-03 22:36:00
The spectators hold their breath!
Alexander Zverev (26) runs to the ball, slips away and falls to the ground. Everything like a year ago to the day, only a few meters to the left from his point of view. But this time there was no cry and the horror in the stands quickly gave way to relief.
Zverev gets up, full of red sand, goes to the bench and wipes himself clean as best he can. In the end he even wins his third round match at the French Open against the American Frances Tiafoe (25), number 12 in the world, 3: 6, 7: 6, 6: 1, 7: 6.
Gundogan-Wahnsinn Volley cracker after 13 seconds
Exactly twelve months ago in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal (37) it was different. Zverev tears seven ligaments in his ankle and is out for seven months. You can still see that today.
Zverev: “I love tennis more than anything else in the world. I’m not doing this for the money or for the fame. Therefore, it was difficult for him not to be on the pitch until then. But now I’m glad I can do it again.”
The game against Tiafoe is hard work. Against such an opponent, Zverev would have been the clear favorite in normal form and without this horror time last year on sand. But now the signs are different.
Tiafoe is having a good season and is improving a lot on the red clay. You can tell that from the first ball, so that he keeps enticing the world number 27 to the net and then passes. Zverev, who plays very incorrectly, does not find a recipe against the opponent and has to admit defeat 3: 6.
The second set is also torture. Zverev has to give up a quick break immediately and is later twice 40:15 ahead when Tiafoe serves, so he has two break balls twice. Both times he misses these chances because his error rate remains high.
Alexander Zverev’s winning fist. The hamburger has to wait a long time to show them
So he saves himself in the tie break, which he then decides for himself. But that doesn’t give security. With increasing duration, it gets cooler and windier, which the North Germans don’t like at all. He promptly delivers the first service game, in which the shock scene described at the beginning takes place.
But he gets the break back immediately and doesn’t give up a game afterwards. Zverev easily brings home the third round 6: 1. However, he cannot maintain the level and in the fourth set there is another exchange of blows at eye level.
Alexander Zverev has to fight doggedly. Frances Tiafoe is a tough opponent
An insect wants to take a close look at it, but gets too close to Zverev. He takes a towel and tenderly puts it in the flower beds behind his bench. From there, the little animal sees a real thriller, which again ends in a tie break after Tiafoe already served to win the set. After 3:41 hours the victory was perfect.
Daniel Altmaier (24) has a very black day. The Kempen lost against the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrow (32) without a word 4: 6, 3: 6, 1: 6. After the 5:26 hours two days earlier against the Italian Jannik Sinner (21), Altmaier seemed weak and powerless and was lost from the start.
So Dimitrow is Zverev’s opponent on Monday and not Altmaier.
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