French Open: Alexander Zverev advances to 4th round after defeating Frances Tiafoe
Jun 04, 2023
Paris [France], June 4 : German tennis player Alexander Zverev defeat American tennis player Frances Tiafoe at the Philippe-Chatrier court on Sunday. The German progressed into the fourth round of the French Open.
The 26-year-old, Alexander Zverev, came out as a winner in a thrilling four-set encounter with Frances Tiafoe. The American tennis player, Tiafoe gave a tough fight but Zverev got the better of his opponent.
Alexander Zverev, book a spot in the fourth round for a sixth consecutive year at Roland-Garros with a 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 7-6(5) triumph.
25-year-old, Frances Tiafoe, won the first set 3-6. He started the game on a high note giving little chance to Zverev. Frances Tiafoe hit better shots down the baseline and Zverev struggled to land his shots in the first set.
In the second set, Alexander Zverev bounced back in the second set. Though the second set went down the wire the German won the set in the decider. The score of the second set was 7-6(3).
In the third set, the right-handed tennis player, Alexander Zverev dominated his opponent and won the third set comfortably. The score at the end of the third set was 6-1.
The fourth set was crucial for both players. Both the players went on head-to-head and displayed good attacking play. In the end, Zverev maintained his nerves and won the fourth set as well, therefore winning the match. The score at the end of the fourth quarter was 7-5(5).
Alexander Zverev could have lost the match because of his unforced errors, as he accumulated a total of 13 double faults. But the German never let the match slip away from his grip as he hit 13 aces.
After the win, in the post-match conference, Alexander Zverev said, " Keep points short and keep Tiafoe off his favourite place in tennis. I'm trying to make the match as short as possible. I'm trying to not let him smile," Zverev said of Tiafoe's shot-making prowess. "Once he has that smile on his face, he plays his best tennis. We are entertainers, yes, but I'm trying to win the match", as per the official site of Roland Garros.
When asked about his ankle injury which he went through last year, he said, "I love tennis more than anything in the world, I don't play for the money or the fame, I play for the pure sport," he told Mats Wilander in the on-court interview. "I play for the competitiveness, and I love being in front of [the crowd]. Being away from that, having that taken away from me. I'm so happy to be playing these big battles again."
He concluded by saying, "Hopefully it's going to be a fun second week for me because I'm here to stay."