18:55
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 4: 4
Nakashima brings his opponent back into this game again, misjudging with a stop ball that is clearly too high. For the third in the world rankings, it is easy to set the backhand winner longline.
18:54
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 4: 4
Service winner at 40:15! With a possible game ball, Zverev gets into the rally well, can play out his advantages in the baseline duel and wins the point thanks to a cross forehand.
18:53
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 4: 4
Zverev plays the stronger, more powerful tennis, but Nakshima often distributes the balls quite well. Real cross duels rarely occur because the American keeps interrupting and throwing in a longline shot.
18:51
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 4: 4
He still equalizes after games, Nakashima puts a backhand just behind the baseline.
18:51
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 3: 4
When the score is 40:15, another possible winning shot is not successful, again it falls short. Overall, the appearance of the favorite is still too inconsistent in parts.
18:50
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 3: 4
Actually a good action by Zverev, who waits a long time standing in the center of the field and then decides to hit the forehand in the opening backhand side of his opponent. He would also have come as a winner if it weren’t for the edge of the net…
18:48
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 3: 4
Zverev’s third ace gives him a 15-0 lead. Nakashima then returns a second serve with a lot of kick only out of bounds. 30:0.
18:46
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 3: 4
Nakashima goes to the net and can bring back a difficult ball that Zverev hit flat with a volleywinner cross. At 40:30, the American lets the favorites move up again, but then makes it 4:3 with an ace.
18:45
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 3: 3
The first rally of the seventh game goes to the German number one, Zverev can wait for the opponent’s mistake in the backhand cross duel. But he doesn’t want to give up hopes of a break for the German too early and after the 15:15 caused by an unforced error by Zverev, he puts it to 30:15 by service winner.
18:43
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 3: 3
A backhand from the German just barely scratches the baseline, does Zverev make it exciting again in this service game? No, the following service winner makes it 3:3.
18:42
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 2: 3
With an ace, Zverev makes it 40: 0 and then serves a little too offensively. Double fault at 40:15.
18:41
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 2: 3
Zverev is currently playing more offensively and hitting the ball earlier – the right recipe. So he can first force Nakashima to make a mistake and then chase a Smashwinner cross onto the red background. 30:0.
18:39
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 2: 3
Because Zverev returns the yellow felt ball behind the baseline after a good service from his opponent, Nakashima can prevent the debut and secure the 3: 2.
18:38
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 2: 2
Praised too soon: Nakashima first makes a double fault and then completely misses a forehand. 40:30.
18:38
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 2: 2
The duel as a whole is gaining in level, the serves are getting better. Among other things, a forehand volley winner and a strong serve to the outside, which Zverev returns, but can no longer get the following cross shot, ensure a quick 40-0 lead again.
18:36
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 2: 2
The number three in the world uses the second game ball and plays a great angle: the longline backhand sits again and gives Nakashima, who is far away, no chance. Winner for this time quick game win to 15!
18:35
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 1: 2
A much faster service game would certainly do Sascha Zverev good. And indeed: Two service winners bring the 30:0 lead, which he follows with a super-placed backhand winner longline. 40:0 – three cue balls.
18:33
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 1: 2
In the debut, however, Zverev no longer has a chance. First Nakashima serves an ace inside and keeps the upper hand in the following rally in the baseline duel. To date, the US player is significantly more sovereign in terms of service than its German counterparty.
18:32
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 1: 1
Another avoidable mistake by Zverev, who slams a forehand into the net. Currently, however, there are errors on both sides: It starts because the 20-year-old from San Diego produces a double fault.
18:30
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 1: 1
But the start of this match belongs more to the underdog. Nakashima varies his shots well and pulls away to 30-0. Only two unnecessary mistakes of his own allow Zverev to compensate again.
18:29
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 1: 1
That was more work than expected! Alexander Zverev gets his first service game after all, ultimately benefiting from a forehand that his American opponent hit briefly across the side.
18:28
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 1
Then Zverev packs two important strong serves and puts the ace on his advantage. The German gives the ball back and wants to play a forehand stop ball that doesn’t get past the edge of the net.
18:26
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 1
Zverev doesn’t seem satisfied even when he starts out, he hasn’t really found the right balance with the racket. After a game ball that was given away, Nakashima hits a great angle with a backhand cross and thus forces the 25-year-old from Hamburg to make the next mistake in the net.
18:24
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 1
After hitting the first serve on breakball for Nakashima, he plays the second very defensively. In the rally, a backhand cross from the American was hit too sideways, with which Zverev saved himself in the debut.
18:23
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 1
Sascha hasn’t got off to a good start yet. He hasn’t found the length in the shots yet, this time it’s a too short forehand into the net. Then the serves don’t come well for the first time, a double fault provides the early first break chance.
18:22
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 1
At Zverev, the serves are good at the beginning, twice the opponent’s returns are incorrect. Since Zverev shot a forehand that was too long between these two points, it is 30:15 for the German.
18:21
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 1
A somewhat fortunate point win and two aces bring the US youngster a fairly quick win in the opening game, which initially ensures a broad chest!
18:19
Alexander Zverev – Brandon Nakashima 0: 0
Zverev gets the first point with a forehand winner against his opponent’s run, but then slams another forehand into the net. 15 both.
18:18
Here we go
The challenger Brandon Nakashima will master the first service game. In Paris it is a pleasant 20 degrees warm when the sun is shining. Dinner is served!
18:11
protagonists are there
The two main players have just arrived and will be warming up in the next few minutes. Incidentally, the two have only met once: At the US Open 2020, Zverev needed four sets to win.
17:58
Nadal advances to the round of 16
Botic Van de Zandschulp at least extended what was happening on the Suzanne Lenglen court and was able to come back briefly with a break in the third set. Clay court king Nadal didn’t bother him: a few minutes ago he ended the match in his favor, which means that the court is now free. It will still be a few minutes before Zverev’s match can begin.
17:54
Nakashima not the biggest hurdle
In the third round, Zverev could have caught a tougher opponent: Brandon Nakashima is not only number 75 in the world and therefore a strong outsider. The young, actually up-and-coming American is also in a form crisis. Because as strong as the 20-year-old ended last year, he started this season so weak: since winning two matches right at the beginning of 2022, Nakashima has not been able to win two matches in a row at ATP level again, this series could just the day before yesterday with his surprisingly clear victory in the second round against the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. But maybe the Californian is playing free and is really challenging Zverev today? We will see…
17:43
Will Zverev only come back in the summer?
The best German tennis player had a moderate start to the season last year, and in 2022 the balance of the first few months was even worse. The fact that 2021 went down in the annals as the best of his sports career to date was mainly due to the fact that the German continued to improve from early summer and has played in inimitable form since winning the Olympics. Can Sascha repeat such a course of the year and initiate a turnaround in the season that started so weakly? The first indications speak for it, after all his record has improved significantly since the disappointing first hour at the home tournament in Munich at the Masters in Madrid and Rome (S9, N2).
17:34
Performance at Roland Garros
Although Zverev is not as explicit a clay court lover as Rafael Nadal, for example, he still feels comfortable on the red surface. This is not only shown by the six tournament victories (three of them Masters!) that he was able to win on clay courts, the French Open balance sheet is also quite solid. In Paris, Zverev reached a Grand Slam quarterfinals for the first time in 2018 and has only been eliminated once in the round of 16 since then, otherwise he was always in the top eight. Last year his most successful venture was in Roland Garros: After a five-set opening match against compatriot Oscar Otte, Zverev did not lose a single set until the semi-finals, but then it was over against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
17:20
Last German hope
With Angie Kerber’s third round against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Zverev is already the last remaining DTB player at the French Open. Does he continue to hold up the last German flag and play his way into the round of 16? Anything else would be a disappointment, because despite the rather disappointing year 2022, the Hamburger is the clear favorite against Nakashima.
17:15
Nadal’s match in the final moves
The match will be played at Roland Garros’ second largest stadium, Court Suzanne Lenglen. After an extremely long session that started early in the day (the first women’s match lasted almost two and a half hours), things then continued quite quickly on the court. This is also ensured by the clay court king, who currently lives up to his nickname and dominates against the Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp. After just over an hour and a half of playing time, Nadal was able to win the match in just a few minutes by winning the third set and would thus make room for Sascha Zverev.
17:09
Warm welcome
Have a good afternoon and a warm welcome to Alexander Zverev’s third round match! The German number one will duel with the American Brandon Nakashima for the round of 16 of the French Open.