In the tie-break, Zverev even had to fend off three set balls, one of which Zapata Miralles even gave away the possible set win with a double fault. So Zverev got the first set after 64 minutes with the fourth set ball.
But that didn’t give Zverev any security either, the right focus on the game was still not there. Zapata Miralles managed a quick break and even dominated the action for a while. Zverev managed the re-break to make it 2: 2, but then he promptly gave up his service himself. By the end of the second section, Zverev’s statistics already showed 51 avoidable errors.
The fact that he nevertheless won the set after just over two hours of play was due to the fact that Zapata Miralles was afraid of his own courage at the crucial moments. In the third set, the outsider’s strength also dwindled. Zverev didn’t play well, but used his first match point after 2:45 hours.
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, is still in top form. The world number one from Serbia won his round of 16 against Argentinian Diego Schwartzman 6: 1, 6: 3, 6: 3 and showed a convincing performance. The 35-year-old, who had missed the Australian Open at the beginning of the year after a lot of back and forth because of his missing coronavirus vaccination, played with great concentration and did not allow himself any weakness. “I’m very happy with my performance. But it’s not over yet,” said Djokovic, who is aiming for his 21st Grand Slam title in Paris. He would draw level with Nadal.
In the quarterfinals, there is now a tennis classic between Djokovic and Nadal. The 13-time Paris champions from Spain defeated Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the best game of the tournament so far and turned an early end on his favorite tournament with great difficulty. After the game, Nadal was celebrated on the Philippe Chatrier court as if he had won the French Open for the 14th time.