Alexander Zverev raised his racket towards the sky and smiled contentedly. The German tennis star withstood the great title pressure at the French Open in the round of 16 and is only three wins away from his first Grand Slam triumph. After initial difficulties, the 29-year-old won against birthday boy Jesper de Jong from the Netherlands 7:6 (7:3), 6:4, 6:1.
Zverev is in the quarter-finals of the clay court spectacle in Paris for the sixth time in a row, where he will face the young Spanish star Rafael Jódar. The 19-year-old turned a 0-2 set deficit into a 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win against compatriot Pablo Carreño Busta.
Zverev is now the big favorite for the title at Roland Garros. World number one Jannik Sinner and Grand Slam record champion Novak Djokovic were eliminated early in the tournament. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is not at the start due to injury.
Serenades from the fans, gifts from Zverev
In order to dream of his first triumph on the Grand Slam stage, Zverev will have to improve compared to the match against de Jong. The world number 106. had already failed in the qualification and only slipped into the main field as a so-called lucky loser.
Shortly before the first serve, the spectators on the court celebrated Philippe Chatrier’s birthday
s serenade for the now 26-year-old de Jong – and Zverev handed out a few sporting gifts on the pitch. The 2021 Olympic champion missed a few balls, especially with his forehand, and was 3-0 behind.
Thanks to a slight increase in performance, Zverev saved himself into the tiebreak, where he was again 3-0 behind after three avoidable errors. Then the favorite flipped the switch, won seven points in a row and the first set.
“Evil demons have said goodbye for now”
With the lead in the set behind him, Zverev played with significantly more conviction. “The psyche has calmed down, the evil demons have now said goodbye,” said tennis icon Boris Becker at Eurosport.
Compared to the first week, the weather had cooled down by around ten degrees and the sun was no longer shining. It even rained lightly in the tiebreak of the first set. Zverev, who prefers heat for his powerful serve, adapted to the conditions better as the game went on and, thanks to a break, took the second set 6:4.
In the third round, Zverev took his opponent’s serve early to make it 2-0, after which de Jong’s resistance was largely broken. After 2:14 hours, the Hamburg player scored his first match point.
Of the German starters, only Zverev is still there
Zverev is the last remaining German tennis professional in Paris. All of the other eight Germans who started in the main field have already been eliminated. “The last Mohican – it’s always a burden for him that he has to carry the German flag well into the second round,” said Becker.
