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Zverev advanced to the French Open fourth round, predicting Carlos Alcaraz will reach the final. Zverev will face Tallon Griekspoor next, while Alcaraz continues his title defense.
Alexander Zverev at the French Open (AFP)
Alexander Zverev has tipped defending champion Carlos Alcaraz for another run to the French Open final but has warned that he is ready to “really battle” after advancing to the fourth round on Saturday.
Third seed Zverev, who lost to Alcaraz in last year’s title match at Roland Garros, secured his place in the last 16 with a three-set win over Italian Flavio Cobolli.
The three-time Grand Slam runner-up triumphed 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 in two hours and 30 minutes, and will next face 35th-ranked Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor.
“I honestly think that Carlos will be in the final, to be very fair,” said Zverev.
Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in his third-round match on Friday, keeping his title defense on track. Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, arrived at Roland Garros as the favorite after winning the Monte Carlo Masters and the Italian Open in the build-up to the clay-court major.
However, his fluctuating performances in the past two rounds have given his rivals reason to believe he is vulnerable.
“I don’t think there is anybody on that side of the draw who will challenge him too much,” continued Zverev.
“He’s the favorite, of course, coming into the tournament. I think everyone realized that. But all the contenders who can challenge him are in the top half of the draw. We will have to really battle it out, and he will enjoy watching it.”
Zverev is in the same half of the draw as world number one Jannik Sinner and three-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic, who is bidding for a record 25th Grand Slam.
Regarding his next opponent Griekspoor, Zverev joked, “I play him almost every week.”
The 28-year-old German leads 7-2 in their previous meetings, including both matches on clay.
Earlier, Britain’s Jack Draper proved too strong for Brazilian teenage sensation Joao Fonseca in the third round at Roland Garros on Saturday as he progressed to the last 16 in straight sets.
The fifth seed produced a polished performance in seeing off the 18-year-old 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in front of a Court Suzanne Lenglen, which featured an audible core of Brazilian supporters.
Keys, Gauff Storm Into Last 16
American seventh seed Madison Keys edged past compatriot Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Keys will again face a fellow countrywoman in the next round after Hailey Baptiste downed Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6/4 (7/4), 6-1 earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, second seed Coco Gauff booked her ticket to the French Open last 16 on Saturday with a straight-sets win over Czech Marie Bouzkova.
The 21-year-old won through 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) against the world number 47 and next plays Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 20th seed, who beat fellow Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-2.
Gauff — the 2022 Roland Garros runner-up — warmed up for Paris with runs to the finals of the clay court tournaments in Madrid and Rome.
(with agency inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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