French Open 2023: Alexander Zverev edges tight contest with Frances Tiafoe to qualify for fourth round

06.06.2023 - 19:54 eurosport.com

Alexander Zverev edged a tight contest with Frances Tiafoe to qualify for the fourth round of the French Open at Roland-Garros.

The Philippe-Chatrier night crowd got more than their money's worth from a contest full of quality, but also nerves, as Zverev finally got over the line after close to four hours.

Ad As the match ticked past midnight local time, there was added significance for Zverev, as it marked exactly one year since he was forced to withdraw from his 2022 Roland-Garros semi-final with Rafael Nadal with a serious ankle injury.

Roland-GarrosZverev v Tiafoe — Roland-Garros highlights7 HOURS AGO He said: «It's been definitely the hardest year of my life, that's for sure. »I love tennis more than anything in the world, I play the sport not because of the money or the fame, not because of anything else but the pure sport. «I love the competitiveness, I love playing in front of you guys, so to have that be taken away from me was very difficult. »I'm so happy to be back here, playing these tough battles again, and hopefully it's going to be a fun second week for me because I'm here to stay." The first set saw some fine tennis from the start, but it was Tiafoe who got the upper hand when taking the second of his break points in game seven, and then broke again to take it 6-3.

tennis Sporting Rafael Nadal Alexander Zverev France Germany

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