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Alexander Zverev backed up his statement win against Rafael Nadal with a dominant display against David Goffin to reach the third round at Roland Garros on Thursday.

The fourth-seeded German, who downed 14-time champ Nadal in straight sets in the first round, played front-foot tennis in his clash with Goffin. He overpowered the Belgian, hitting 37 winners under the roof on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to advance after two hours and 22 minutes.


Zverev was pleased with how he reset after his emotional win against Nadal on Monday.

"Since the draw came out, the only thing the tennis world was talking about was that match [against Nadal]," Zverev said when asked about his emotions over the past week. "He won the tournament 14 times, so he deserves all the credit and respect and all the acknowledgments he gets. So after I beat him I felt that I had already won the tournament, but in the end it is only a first round.

"You have to focus for another two weeks entirely and I am happy I had another two days off as I had to compose myself emotionally. I had to ground myself and get back to work and playing good tennis. I am extremely happy with the level today."

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Zverev suffered a catastrophic ankle injury at the clay-court major in 2022, turning his ankle during his semi-final clash with Nadal at the end of the second set. After returning to Tour last year, the 27-year-old looks back to his best, having won his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome earlier this month.

The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is chasing his first major title and will next play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor or Italian Luciano Darderi. Zverev is 30-9 on the season, earning 12 of those wins on clay.

After winning a tight first set, Zverev moved through the gears in the second and third sets to take full control against former World No. 7 Goffin. The German committed just five unforced errors in the second set and did not face a break point in the third set, according to Infosys Stats, to improve to 4-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

"When it is heavy, when it is slow, it is not ideal for me. I am someone who likes to be extremely aggressive, so when it is like that, it is not ideal," Zverev said. "I felt the ball well today. Maybe a few mistakes but I knew David is an incredible player and someone who was difficult for me in the past. It showed in the first set, but I am happy I ran away with it."

Goffin defeated Lyon champion Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in five sets in the first round but could not match Zverev’s intensity and power. The 33-year-old was making his 13th appearance in Paris, where he reached the quarter-finals in 2016.

German trailed by double break in fifth set
June 01, 2024
Alexander Zverev in third-round action against Tallon Griekspoor on Saturday at Roland Garros.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Alexander Zverev in third-round action against Tallon Griekspoor on Saturday at Roland Garros.
By ATP Staff
Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros title hopes hung by a thread on Saturday. But with the German staring defeat in the face, he somehow survived to reach the fourth round in Paris for the seventh consecutive year.

In a thrilling third-round clash under the roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the fourth seed rallied from a double a break down in the fifth set to overcome resilient Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(10-3).

"Wow, incredible match. Incredible player. He is unbelievably dangerous," Zverev said after improving to 4-1 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series. "I always struggle against him. I don't like to play against him but all the credit to him, taking it all the way. It was one or two points here and there. Incredible player and fighter until the end. The atmosphere today was unbelievable. I loved every second of it."

After leading by two-sets-to-one, Zverev started to struggle on his forehand. Griekspoor targeted that wing, with the German striking the ball passively and committing regular errors. Zverev’s dip in level, combined with Griekspoor’s rise in intensity allowed the Dutchman to move into a 4-1 lead in the deciding set.

However, with the finish line in sight, Griekspoor started to show signs of nerves on serve, committing three double faults across two games to allow Zverev to level at 4-4. With confidence growing, Zverev then began to hit through the ball more and played some of his best tennis in the fifth-set tie-break to advance after four hours and 13 minutes of gruelling tennis.

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Zverev defeated record 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in the first round before he beat David Goffin in the second round. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who hit 55 winners and committed 41 unforced errors against Griekspoor, is chasing his first major title and has now won his past nine matches, having captured his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome earlier this month.

The fourth seed is a three-time semi-finalist in Paris and will look to continue his run at this year’s event against 13th-seeded Dane Holger Rune, who eased past Slovakian Jozef Kovalik 7-5, 6-1, 7-6(2).

Griekspoor was chasing his third Top 10 win. The 26th seed, who is a two-time tour-level titlist, was aiming to reach the fourth round at a major for the first time, having fallen in the third round at the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024.

Did You Know?
Zverev holds a 9-1 five-set record at Roland Garros.