Sunday, June 6th, 2021
“I played brilliantly”
Zverev effortlessly in the quarterfinals in Paris
Alexander Zverev has a run at the French Open. The German number one is never in danger against the Japanese Kei Nishikori. Much seems possible in Paris now. Roger Federer, on the other hand, drops out of the tournament.
Alexander Zverev reached the quarter-finals at the French Open in a hurry. Germany’s best tennis player won against Japanese Kei Nishikori 6: 4, 6: 1, 6: 1 in Paris on Sunday evening and thus survived the fourth round of the clay court classic for the third time. In the fight for the semi-finals, Zverev will now face the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday. “I played brilliantly today,” said Zverev after his strong performance. “But the tournament isn’t over yet. I hope I have three more games here.”
He has great respect for his next opponent. “He’s probably playing the tournament of his life,” said Zverev of the Spaniard. There was praise for the German number one from tennis legend Boris Becker. “Big compliment. That was a very mature performance today,” said Becker as a TV expert at Eurosport.
On Monday, Jan-Lennard Struff as another German has the chance to reach the quarter-finals in the French capital. The German number two will meet the number ten seeded Argentinian Diego Schwartzman in the second game after 11.00 a.m. (Eurosport).
Federer wants to take it easy
For Roger Federer, however, the French Open are there. After his hard-fought four-set win against Dominik Koepfer, the 39-year-old Swiss announced on Sunday that he would not play in his round of 16 against the Italian Matteo Berrettini on Monday. After a break of more than a year and two knee operations, Federer does not want to take any risks and protect his body for the upcoming season on grass. After all, the classic tournament at Wimbledon (June 28 to July 11) is Federer’s big goal this year. After a week off, Federer wants to play again in Halle.
Zverev was wide awake from the start, despite the unusual start time in the night session at 9 p.m. The 24-year-old immediately took the serve from Nishikori and then did not let himself be disturbed by losing his own service. Zverev determined the action with his powerful game, but also benefited from the fact that the Japanese was apparently a little battered. Nishikori had problems especially with service, which Zverev used to another break and to win the set after 43 minutes.
The world number sixth now had everything under control. Powerful, focused and dominant, he did not let Nishikori, against whom he had already won in the run-up to the French Open at the tournaments in Madrid and Rome, come back into the game. The second set lasted less than half an hour, Zverev had made the 6: 1 perfect.
But even with the safe leadership in the back, Zverev did not let up. A sign that he has learned from the past. In the past year, Zverev tormented himself several times through energy-draining five-set matches and then had no more energy in the knockout round against Jannik Sinner.
This time, Zverev kept the pace up. He made a quick break in the third set and was unstoppable from then on. After the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the tournament victories in Acapulco and Madrid, now the quarter-finals in Paris. A sign of a good season, but that shouldn’t end at the French Open. The goal remains the first Grand Slam title of his career.
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