Zverev survives 5-setter to reach French Open quarters

Zverev survives 5-setter to reach French Open quarters

The German fourth seed will next face Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals.

Alexander Zverev plays a shot against Holger Rune at the French Open. (AP pic)
PARIS:
Alexander Zverev survived a second straight five-set match at the French Open, downing Holger Rune in a last-16 tie which ended in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The German fourth seed fought back to win 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 after four hours and 11 minutes and set up a quarterfinal against Alex de Minaur.

It was the second-latest finish in the tournament’s history – after Novak Djokovic’s win over Lorenzo Musetti which finished at 3.07am on Sunday morning – ending at 1:40 am.

“What a match,” said Zverev. “I’m lucky to be through.”

He will be targeting a fourth straight Roland Garros semifinal after making the last eight for the sixth time in seven years.

Zverev is playing under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

He also beat Tallon Griekspoor in a deciding set, in which he trailed by a double-break at 4-1, in the third round.

“I’ve played a total of eight-and-a-half hours over the last three days so I need to recover,” said Zverev.

“I need to do everything possible to be ready for the quarterfinal match.”

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.