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Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros hopes hung by a thread on Wednesday afternoon, but the third seed dug deep to prevail in an absorbing second-round battle against Sebastian Baez.

The third seed saved a match point when trailing 4-5, 30/40 in the fifth set against the 21-year-old Argentine Baez, but he held firm to complete a dramatic 2-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 victory in Paris.

Zverev was full of praise for Baez after his three-hour, 36-minute victory. “This is the worst he [Baez] will probably ever feel on a tennis court right now, this moment," said the German. "It was such an incredible match, and I know it just too well because I lost the US Open final from being two sets to love up.

"You always get better from it and I wish him nothing but the best. He’s an unbelievably great kid, and he’s going to do a lot of great things in this sport I think.”

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Just as fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas had in his five-set win over Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday night, Zverev was able to muster a mid-match turnaround to overcome a two-set deficit on Court Philippe Chatrier. The German struggled to find his peak level throughout, but his big serve and rasping backhand were the foundation for a stirring comeback.

“You just have to find a way," added Zverev when asked about the key to his revival. "You talk about mental strength, you talk about some players, the greats, Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal], Novak [Djokovic], they always find a way in the most difficult moments. That’s why they are who they are. I’m never going to be on their level, but I’m trying to get closer to them and it’s definitely something that you need to do.”

"It was a tough match today," reflected Baez in his post-match press conference. "I think I had many chances in the five sets, but Alexander is a good player and in the difficult moments he played maybe better than me. So I have to learn a lot of things [for] the future [from] this match.

"This is the best part, and I try to say to my coach. Maybe it's hard, but sometimes this is for learning and to be better in the future."



Zverev came into the match with a 5-0 record in second-round matches at Roland Garros, but that perfect record looked in danger early as the third seed struggled to find his top level in blustery conditions.

A Baez break of the Zverev serve in the opening game set the tone, as the Argentine came out fearlessly in just his third meeting with a Top 10 opponent. Another break followed in the fifth game as Baez charged to the first set, with Zverev struggling to adjust to the wind.

The Argentine continued to dictate play with his huge forehand into the second set, also deploying his drop shot to good effect. Zverev appeared to be lacking confidence and tried to power his way out of trouble, a tactic that led to double faults hindering his efforts to hold serve as Baez surged to a 4-0 lead.

After fending off three break points to hold for 1-4, however, the momentum in the match changed. Although it came too late to prevent the Argentine clinching the second set, renewed purpose from Zverev powered him to the third and fourth sets for the loss of just three games combined as he found some consistency in his groundstrokes.

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Even with the momentum going against him, Baez refused to roll over as the players exchanged breaks in a tense deciding set. The Argentine had his chance to clinch the match with the match point at 4-5 but was unable to return a big serve down the middle from Zverev, who then held his nerve to break himself and claim victory.

“I think that the forehand, even with the best players, is maybe the shot that gets a little bit more tight," said Zverev about his decision to target the Baez forehand when match point down. "If I serve with 210km to the forehand there is a bigger chance he will miss it on match point. He did, it worked out well.”

The win moves Zverev to a 20-6 record at Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals last year before falling to Tsitsipas. His third-round opponent in Paris will be Brandon Nakashima, after the American triumphed 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-2 over Tallon Griekspoor.

German faces Zapata Miralles for quarter-final spot
Alexander Zverev is making the most of his second life at Roland Garros. After saving a match point and coming back from two sets down to beat Sebastian Baez in the second round, he moved past #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets on Friday.

The German earned a hard-fought 7-6(2), 6-3, 7-6(5) victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen to advance to the fourth round for the fifth straight year in Paris. He reached the semi-finals last year and the quarters in 2018 and 2019.

"I think I raised my level today," Zverev said in an on-court interview. "I prefer this [compared to the second-round thriller]. This is much better for me. I don't lose too much hair, I can still grow old," he joked. The third seed went on to praise the crowd, which contributed to the match with a Mexican wave.


A tight contest included just three breaks of serve, including a trade of breaks midway through the third. Zverev saved a pair of break points in each of the first two sets but dropped serve for the only time after edging ahead in the final set.

A night of strong serving ended in a tie-break dominated by the returner, as seven of the 12 points went against serve. From 2/4 down in the tie-break, Zverev locked down from the baseline to edge past the American, closing the match in style with a backhand winner — one of his 50 winners in the two-hour, 48-minute contest.

Nakashima, who earned his first tour-level clay win last month in Barcelona, drops to 0-7 against the Top 20. His defeat leaves three #NextGenATP stars standing in Paris: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.



Zverev, who could meet Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, advances to face Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Sunday. It will be the first ATP Head2Head meeting for the pair.

Spanish qualifier Zapata Miralles continued his dream run by moving past American John Isner 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in a third-round thriller. The World No. 131 recovered from squandering a 5/2 lead and four match points in the fourth set to eventually advance after three hours and 31 minutes. He is the first Spanish qualifier to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam since recording started in 1983.

The 25-year-old, who upset Americans Michael Mmoh and Taylor Fritz earlier this week, is making his second appearance in Paris. The three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion lost to countryman Carlos Alcaraz in the first round last year.

Third seed books quarter-final meeting with Alcaraz or Khachanov
It may have been a straight-sets win for Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros on Sunday afternoon, but the path to victory was anything but smooth for the third seed against Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Zverev clinched a marathon opening set in a dramatic tie-break and was forced to recover from a break down in the second before going on to seal a 7-6(11), 7-5, 6-3 triumph over the No. 131-ranked Spanish qualifier.

Zverev was full of praise for Zapata Miralles after his battling victory. “He was playing the best tennis of his life," said the German in his on-court interview. "You can see how hard-working of a guy he is and how great of a guy he is, I think everybody hopes he is going to have more weeks like this and continue playing the same way because he can be a very good player, and hopefully we can see him on this court more often.”

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Zapata Miralles was making his first appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam and despite a nervy start the Spaniard looked at home on the big stage. He capitalised on any drop in level from Zverev to ensure the German was never comfortable but the World No. 3’s greater firepower was ultimately enough to take him to a two-hour, 45-minute win.

“He was driving me nuts, to be honest," added Zverev. "He’s one of the fastest guys on Tour, I could barely hit a winner against him. We played three sets but we played close to three hours. He’s playing incredible tennis, so if he continues playing like this I don’t see why his ranking is not going to go up even more.”

Despite lacking consistency throughout, it was Zverev’s ability to hit through the ball off both wings that proved the difference on Court Suzanne Lenglen. He struck 34 winners to just 13 from Zapata Miralles, but Zverev will hope to reduce his unforced error count of 63 for his quarter-final match up with Carlos Alcaraz or Karen Khachanov.



A composed start from Zverev saw him open an early 4-1 lead with a double break but a straightforward-looking opening set came alive from that point thanks to a rousing recovery from Zapata Miralles. The Spaniard won five of the next six games to force a tie-break, which also turned out to be a see-saw affair in which both men let slip three set points before Zverev was able to convert his fourth.

Despite losing the opening set, Zapata Miralles looked to have settled in his first meeting with a Top 10 opponent and he exchanged breaks twice with the third seed in an intriguing second set. Zverev showed his quality to break through the qualifier's defensive barrier for a crucial third break of the set in the 12th game, however, as he appeared to have finally cracked the Zapata Miralles code.

Yet the Spaniard dug deep to remain just as competitive in the third set. It took three breaks of the Zapata Miralles serve for Zverev to clinch it 6-3, an indication of both his opponent’s tenacity and the German’s struggle to find consistency behind his delivery.

A semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2021, Zverev now boasts a 16-4 record on clay in 2021 but is yet to pick up a title this year. The five-time ATP Masters 1000 champion is hunting a maiden Grand Slam in Paris, where he has now reached the quarter-finals four times.

Zapata Miralles’ inspired run through qualifying to the fourth round in Paris has catapulted the Spaniard into the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, where he currently sits at No. 96.

World No. 3 seals maiden Grand Slam win over Top 10 opponent
Stopping Carlos Alcaraz in 2022 has proven no easy task, but Alexander Zverev dug deep to complete the job at Roland Garros on Tuesday afternoon.

The third seed powered to a second-straight semi-final at the clay-court Grand Slam, staving off an Alcaraz fightback to earn a 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7) victory over the 19-year-old Spaniard. Zverev next faces a semi-final showdown with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic or 13-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Having lost to Alcaraz in straight sets in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open in early May, Zverev appeared eager to prove a point in his first Grand Slam meeting with the World No. 6. The German stayed aggressive throughout the three-hour, 18-minute encounter on Court Philippe Chatrier, dominating the early baseline exchanges and frequently reading the Alcaraz drop shot to open up a two-set lead.

Alcaraz channelled the support of an enraptured crowd to raise his game and claim the third set, but Zverev’s big serve proved crucial in blunting the Spaniard’s comeback as he sealed a maiden win over a Top 10 opponent at a major tournament in a dramatic fourth-set tie-break.

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Zverev had shown flashes of brilliance in reaching the quarter-finals in Paris, although a lack of consistency almost cost the German before he saved match point to defeat Sebastian Baez in five sets in the second round. In contrast to that performance, the 19-time tour-level titlist maintained a high level throughout against Alcaraz, putting together his most convincing display of the tournament as he chases a maiden Grand Slam crown.

Both players arrived in the French capital full of confidence having enjoyed strong European clay-court seasons, but in the first two sets Alcaraz was unable to find the level that earned him titles in Barcelona and Madrid. His run to the quarter-finals on just his second appearance at Roland Garros leaves the Spaniard with a 20-2 record on the surface this year, an indication of the magnitude of Zverev’s victory.



Zverev came out striking the ball cleanly from the start in the quarter-final clash, particularly off his backhand wing. He was still forced to fend off a break point to hold serve in the second game, an early reminder of the Alcaraz threat, but the German looked the more confident and the pressure told. He converted his third break point of the fifth game before going on to secure the first set as Alcaraz struggled to find his rhythm.

A key feature of the Alcaraz rise to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings has been his effective use of the drop shot, but Zverev appeared prepared for the tactic in the pair’s first meeting at a Grand Slam. The German successfully chased down a series of drop shots from the Spaniard while continuing to dominate from deep with greater consistency and potency than Alcaraz.

A break in the seventh game of the second set was enough to clinch it for Zverev, who continued to move forward whenever possible to pressure Alcaraz. As he has so frequently this season, however, the Spaniard found a way to remain competitive despite not finding his peak game. After saving break point to hold for 5-4 in the third set, Alcaraz struck a sublime forehand pass for 15/40 on the Zverev serve, converting his first set point to the delight of an enraptured crowd.

The momentum was with Alcaraz and the Spaniard struck the ball with increasing authority as the match wore on, but Zverev stayed solid behind his serve and took his chance to break as he served for the match at 5-4. Despite failing to serve out for victory as Alcaraz again pegged the German back, Zverev came good in the tie-break to improve his ATP Head2Head lead over the Spaniard to 3-1.