Second Seed Alexander Zverev has broken new ground in grand slam tennis after defeating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open for the first time in his career.
The world No.3 was pushed to his limits by his Russian rival, who was participating in a grand slam main draw for the seventh time in his career. Zverev’s hot and cold display on the court mirrored his other matches earlier on in the tournament, but once again he managed to prevail with clinical ending. Hitting 17 aces and 63 winners along with 51 unforced errors.
“I’m young, so I might as well stay on the court and practice a little bit.” Zverev joked about the length of his matches at Roland Garros.
“Luckily for me this was a best-of-five sets match because I have been two-sets-to-one down every single time and I managed to come back.”
Seeking revenge for a straight sets loss to the German in 2016, Khachanov got off to the perfect start by breaking immediately. Although the lead didn’t last for long as his rival battled back to draw level during the roller-coaster clash. With both players having a dominant serve, the biggest factor for both of them concerned their mental strength. As Kachanov moved to a 5-4 lead on serve, Zverev succumbed. Hitting a backhand into the net on set point.
A change in momentum occurred during the second set after a 16-point run in Zverev’s favour. Placing him in a prime position to level the proceedings. However, once again the German came undone as Khachanov battled back to level 5-5 before forcing a tiebreak. It wasn’t until the tiebreaker where Zverev illustrated why he is a three-time Masters 1000 champion. Displaying great athletic ability for a player of 6”6’ to regain the advantage and eventually close the set out.
The effort invested by Zverev to level up appeared to have taken its toll on him. Once again, it was Khachanov who went back into the lead as he dominated the third set. Claiming 31 out of the 50 points played with the help of a double break in his favour. Sparking alarm bells in the Zverev camp.
The comeback
Ironically the turning point in the match was triggered by a warning issued to the 21-year-old by the umpire. Midway through the fourth frame he was handed a code violation for coaching. Bemused by the situation, the fired-up German channeled it into a resurgence on the court as he went on to claimed three out of the next four games to force a decider.
Avoiding the scare and another heartbreaking loss in a major, Zverev held his nerve to cross the finish line. It was just a sole break at the start of the decider that sealed the outcome of the match. On his first match point, the German was triumphant after a Khachanov forehand slammed into the net.
“This has definitely paid off, all the hours in the gym.” The second seed said after the match. “ Me and my brother (Mischa), we spend about 3-4 hours in the gym every day. Lifting heavy weights, running, doing treadmill stuff. So, this all pays off and this is the reason why we do it. I’m unbelievably happy to have a team that I have.”
At the age of 21, Zverev is the youngest French Open quarter-finalist in the men’s draw for nine years. This month is his 15th appearance in the main draw of a major.
“I’m really happy to be here in the quarter-finals, but the draw doesn’t get easier and I have to prepare myself as best as I can and see how it goes in the next few days.” He said.
Zverev will take on Dominic Thiem in the last eight in what will be a repeat of this year’s Madrid Open final. On that occasion he prevailed in straight sets.
