Alexander Zverev has reached the round of 16 of the French Open for the fifth time in a row.
When Alexander Zverev celebrated his safe entry into the round of 16 in the evening sun in Paris, Angelique Kerber had long since said goodbye to the classic clay court.
She “definitely made peace” with the tournament, said the three-time Grand Slam winner with a lot of disappointment and a little defiance in her voice after she was eliminated in the third round: “I would have liked to have stayed longer .”
But it remains the case that Kerber cannot continue their great successes in the other three Grand Slams in the French capital.
After a 4:6, 6:7 (5:7) defeat against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, her run is over after seven wins in a row.
Alexander Zverev patiently and confidently
For Zverev, on the other hand, the hunt for his first Grand Slam title continues.
In the 7: 6 (7: 2), 6: 3, 7: 6 (7: 5) success against the American Brandon Nakashima in 2:48 hours, the third in the world rankings showed the patience and sovereignty he showed in his almost Ko against Sebastian Baez in the second round had missed.
The 25-year-old now faces Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles as the clear favorite.
Zverev is doing well in the tournament and wants to show it to the experts, who spoke a lot more about world number one Novak Djokovic, tournament record winner Rafael Nadal and also shooting star Carlos Alcaraz before the start.
Bit by bit he stalks his way closer to the really big duels.