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De Minaur, the 25th seed, upset by 2018 semi-finalist Cecchinato
Despite not playing a clay-court event before Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev didn't seem bothered on Sunday evening in Paris. The sixth seed overcame a slow start to ease past Dennis Novak 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and five minutes.

"I won, which is important," Zverev said, cracking a laugh. "Obviously I didn't play any clay-court matches before coming in here, simply didn't have the time.

"Happy to get through, because Dennis is somebody that plays well on this surface. He can beat good players."

The German has made a habit of going the distance at the clay-court Grand Slam, needing five sets in five of his previous eight victories at the tournament. But Zverev won five consecutive games from 2-5 down in the first set and never relinquished that momentum against the Austrian.

In the early going, Novak went after his shots and pushed Zverev back. Sometimes, the German is willing to camp well behind the baseline and wait his opponent out. But that was not the case on Court Philippe-Chatrier, as he stepped into the court whenever possible and used his booming serve to control points against the World No. 92.

Zverev won 83 per cent of his first-serve points and hit 37 winners in his triumph. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion is playing some of the best tennis of his career, fresh off reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. The 23-year-old will next play home favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert or American qualifier Michael Mmoh.

"I'm going to play hopefully seven matches here," Zverev said. "Six more."

Zverev will not have to face a seeded opponent until at least the fourth round after Marco Cecchinato raced to a 7-6(9), 6-4, 6-0 victory against 25th seed Alex de Minaur. The 2018 semi-finalist broke serve on eight occasions to move through to the second round in two hours and 51 minutes.

Cecchinato has won four matches from qualifying without dropping a set in Paris. The Italian, who entered the clay-court Grand Slam championship with a 2-9 tour-level record this year, improves to 6-3 in main draw matches at Stade Roland Garros. He saved two set points in a tense first set.

“The biggest thing is I'm going through probably this rough patch, and everyone has it, but at the moment it's what I'm dealing with,” said De Minaur. “I'm not happy with where I am, not happy with what I'm showing on court.

“It's a little bit demoralising in itself that I can't come out and play the tennis that I want to and that I know I can. It's something that I've got to have a long hard look at myself in the mirror and figure out what's happening, and basically just fix it and get back to where I want to be.”

Cecchinato will meet Juan Ignacio Londero for a spot in the third round. The Argentine outlasted countryman Federico Delbonis 6-4, 7-6 (1), 2-6, 1-6, 14-12 after four hours and 54 minutes in a match that featured 21 service breaks.

Spaniard is making his first tournament appearance alongside Zverev in Paris

“Now you guys will have to tell me how to get to Centre Court because every time I’ve come here it’s been to play, I don’t know how to get to the stands.”

David Ferrer’s quip came as he was about to sit in Alexander Zverev’s box for the first time. It was the first round at Roland Garros, where the German progressed by beating Dennis Novak, and it represented a monumental shift in his life; until Sunday, the Alicante native had always taken to Court Philippe-Chatrier with his racquet in hand.

“You get nervous, but I’ve always said that the player is always right and the one that makes the decisions," Ferrer told ATPTour.com. “That’s what I think now that I’m a coach and also before when I was a player. Handling the emotions you feel under the surface is difficult. I try to encourage and help him in critical moments, to transmit positivity to him, but he has the final word.”

Ferrer started working with Zverev in July this year after two weeks of training in Monte Carlo. Having followed the US swing remotely, while in permanent contact with Zverev on his phone, the Spaniard set off for Paris for his first experience as a coach at a tournament.

“It’s different. Now I have the numbers of the rest of the coaches, but when you’ve been on Tour you know how everything works,” said Ferrer. “You adapt to the player, to their schedule. Now I reserve courts for training, organise the transport, the racquets, I watch his opponents’ matches... what my coaches used to do back then, routine things.

“It excites me because I like it. There is a good atmosphere. I meet up again with peers I’ve known my whole life, both Spaniards and foreigners, but I do it because I’m finding my time on Zverev’s bench very motivating.”

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To prepare for Roland Garros, Ferrer met with the man who had recently lost to Dominic Thiem in the final of the US Open. Zverev, who led the Austrian by two sets and a break in the championship match, had to accept what happened in order to free himself and set his sights on the next goal.

“The best thing was letting time go by,” said Ferrer. “Of course, he was sad for the first few days having been so close. Sascha has improved mentally.

“Seeing what happened in the tournament, I try to look for the positives, and there were a lot at the US Open: his attitude on court, always being present, going through tough times and accepting them. He has made great progress with his attitude.

“For them it was a chance to win their first Grand Slam,” said Ferrer. “It’s normal. It happens to everyone. It happened to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, why wouldn’t it happen to those two? In tennis, the hardest thing is closing out a match, at any level.”

With the wounds of the US Open now closed, Zverev has taken the first step towards claiming his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros with his straight-sets win against Novak. There is, however, a very long road ahead. The Coupe des Mousquetaires is still half a world away.

“He’s very good on clay,” said Ferrer. “He’s won in Madrid and Rome, his game is in good shape to do well on clay. He’s from Hamburg, and he’s more than used to clay. I’m very positive and I’m confident. I think he can do very well at Roland Garros.

“Sascha trained well during the week, always with the pressure that comes with playing a Grand Slam, especially in the first match. He’s come through that, now it’s time to keep moving forward.”

Sixth seed will next play 2018 semi-finalist Cecchinato
It was far from easy, and some of the difficulty was self-inflicted, but Alexander Zverev found a way on Wednesday evening to reach the third round at Roland Garros for the third consecutive year.

The German had to battle hard against home favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert, triumphing 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4 after three hours and 59 minutes. Six of the 23-year-old’s 12 victories on the Parisian terre battue have come in five sets.

In the first round, Zverev showed great form against big-hitting Dennis Novak, defeating the Austrian in straight sets. But it was apparent from the early moments against Herbert that the German had his hands full. Both men won 164 points in the match.

The Frenchman, who rushed the net 93 times, was one point from earning a 6-2, 5-1 lead against the sixth seed. But not capitalising on his early lead proved critical, as Zverev improved to 15-7 in five-setters.

<a href='/en/players/alexander-zverev/z355/overview'>Alexander Zverev</a>
Photo Credit: Getty Images
There was a moment when it seemed Zverev would run away with a four-set victory after digging out of his early hole. The German rallied to take the second set, hitting a forehand lob winner to secure the crucial break. He then won six of the final seven points in the third-set tie-break to take the lead.

But Herbert, who has triumphed at all four Grand Slams in doubles with countryman Nicolas Mahut, put his doubles experience on display by continuing to move forward. The Frenchman won 11 of 13 net points in the fourth set and Zverev missed a backhand to send the match to a decider.

Zverev immediately went up a break in the fifth set and even after letting slip that advantage, he broke to serve for the match at 5-3. Herbert never gave up, but he could only battle back so many times. Zverev, the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion, hit a perfect backhand lob to earn his sixth service break and secure his triumph.

Zverev has reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals in back-to-back years. He will try to move one step closer to doing so again when he plays Italian qualifier Marco Cecchinato, who eliminated Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

The German beat Cecchinato in straight sets at this year’s Australian Open. However, Cecchinato is a dangerous clay-court opponent who advanced to the semi-finals at Roland Garros two years ago.

German to meet Sinner in Round of 16

Either side of a competitive second set, Alexander Zverev made quick progress on Friday to eliminate 2018 semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 at Roland Garros.

The 23-year-old won 85 per cent of first-serve points (40/47) and broke serve on six occasions to reach the fourth round in Paris for the third straight year. With his third-round win, Zverev improves to 15-7 at tour-level this year.

The key moment of the match came in the second set on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Zverev trailed Cecchinato 3-5, but reeled off four straight games to establish a two-set advantage. The German played with aggression on his backhand and moved up to the net well to turn the tables on his opponent and move one set from victory.

Zverev’s second-set escape could prove crucial to his title hopes at Stade Roland Garros. Just two days ago, the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion was forced to five sets by Pierre-Hugues Herbert in a match lasting almost four hours. En route to the quarter-finals at this event in 2018 and 2019, Zverev had to survive a combined five five-set matches.

“I am definitely much happier with my game [than against Herbert]. I worked on a few things yesterday. I was very unsatisfied with myself two days ago, but I still won,” said Zverev on court. “So that was more important. I know that with every round I have to play better and better, otherwise I will not have a chance.”

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Zverev is aiming to capture his first Grand Slam title in Paris. The World No. 7 is enjoying his most successful year at major championships, having earned his best results at both the Australian Open and the US Open this season.

Zverev advanced to his first major semi-final in Melbourne at the start of the year and finished as runner-up at the US Open earlier this month, with both losses coming at the hands of World No. 3 Dominic Thiem. The 6’6” right-hander owns a 14-2 in Grand Slam matches this year.

Cecchinato entered the contest in fine form, having dropped just one set in five matches from qualifying to reach the third round. In the first round, the Italian upset 25th seed Alex de Minaur in straight sets and backed up the win with a four-set victory against Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina.

Zverev will need to beat reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner if he is to reach his third straight quarter-final in the French capital. Sinner booked a spot in the fourth round at a Grand Slam event for the first time with a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 victory against Federico Coria.

“Today was very difficult... I wanted to win in three sets, but it's never easy against him, he is a very good player, especially on clay," said Sinner. "He stays there point-after-point, you have to win every point. So about my performance today, I'm quite happy.”

The Italian, who is yet to drop a set in Paris, struck 44 winners to complete a run of three consecutive match wins for the first time since his title run in Milan last November. Zverev and Sinner will be meeting for the first time at tour-level on Sunday.

“I played a great first-round match against David [Goffin], which gave me a little bit of confidence, for sure…. It's not about winning in straight sets or winning in five sets, obviously it's better to win in three sets, but I have [to] improve even my performance after three sets, for sure,” said Sinner.

“In the US Open I lost in five sets, so I still have to learn very much about playing Grand Slams. I played one Grand Slam [at the] US Open [and] Australian Open, this is my third main draw, so I'm still young. I can improve everything.”

“[Sinner] is playing incredible. I don’t think he lost a set yet, so he is somebody that is definitely coming up and playing really well right now,” said Zverev. “[He is] somebody who has a lot of power. We will see how the match goes, but I feel like I am playing better and maybe I have a little more experience. But the young guys, they have no fear, no reason to be nervous, so it can go both ways.”

Two singles places left at season finale


Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and 2018 titlist Alexander Zverev have both qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November. Two singles spots are now up for grabs as Tsitsipas and Zverev join Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev for the 50-year anniversary of the tournament, which began in 1970.

Tsitsipas beat Dominic Thiem in the 2019 final on his tournament debut, to become the youngest Nitto ATP Finals winner since Lleyton Hewitt, aged 20, in 2001. Two years ago, Zverev became the first German titlist at the season finale since Boris Becker in 1995.

The 22-year-old Tsitsipas has compiled a 28-10 record on the season, which includes his fifth ATP Tour title at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille (d. Auger-Aliassime) in February. The Greek also finished runner-up at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (l. to Djokovic) in February and at the Hamburg European Open (l. to Rublev), prior to reaching his second Grand Slam championship semi-final, losing to Djokovic at Roland Garros.

The 23-year-old Zverev made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017 and beat Roger Federer and Djokovic en route to the trophy the following year. Zverev, with a 15-8 match record in 2020, reached his first Grand Slam championship final at last month’s US Open, losing to Thiem in a fifth-set tie-break, and lost to the same player in the Australian Open semi-finals in January.

Zverev

Diego Schwartzman is next in line to qualify at No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, while four other contenders for the two remaining singles places compete this week at ATP Tour events. World No. 10 Andrey Rublev and No. 12-ranked Denis Shapovalov feature at the St. Petersburg Open, where Medvedev bids to retain his crown, and No. 13-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut plays at the bett1HULKS Indoors in Cologne, alongside Zverev and former World No. 1 Andy Murray.

In doubles, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies are closing in on their second straight qualification after retaining their Roland Garros crown (d. Pavic/Soares). Australian Open titlists Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram, and US Open champions Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares have already secured their places in the 2020 field.

In line with UK Government guidance, the 2020 season finale is being planned behind closed doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nitto ATP Finals, featuring the best eight singles players and doubles teams, has been held in London since 2009 and has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide. The tournament is broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership reaching an average of 95 million each year. The event will be held in Turin, Italy, from 2021-2025.