03 June,2021 06:38 AM IST | Paris | AFP
Alexander Zverev celebrates winning a point against Roman Safiullin during his second round match in Paris yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
Down 1-4 in the third set, Alexander Zverev decided it was time to shorten his match at Roland Garros. He was determined to avoid another lengthy fight following a five-set battle in the previous round, so he applied pressure on qualifier Roman Safiullin.
The sixth-seeded German won the next game at love, broke back by pushing his rival into unforced errors and was nearly flawless in the tiebreaker.
The reward was a 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (1) victory to advance into the third round at the French Open. Zverev, facing a rival he has known since their days in the boys' categories, dropped his serve three times on Court Suzanne Lenglen but managed to catch up with Safiullin with his fighting spirit.
It wasn't smooth, he hit 10 double faults and challenged several calls, but he kept his cool when it mattered. A 25-shot rally in the final tiebreaker epitomized Zverev's combative attitude.
First on the defensive, Zverev turned it around and won the point with a passing shot. He took the next five points to seal the match and extend his perfect record against qualifiers to four matches on the Paris clay. He is among the top contenders in Paris following his title in Madrid, where he beat Rafael Nadal.
Earlier, 10th seed Belinda Bencic's campaign at Roland Garros ended with a 2-6, 2-6 loss to Daria Kasatkina. Meanwhile, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas marched into the third round with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Spaniard Pedro Martinez.
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