Tennis Zverev misses quarter-finals in Monte-Carlo
Eliminated in Monte Carlo: Alexander Zverev. photo
© Martha Lavandier/AP
The strong comeback in the second set is not rewarded. After being 0-5 behind, Alexander Zverev saved himself in the tiebreak against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but here he finally lost the round of 16.
Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev has already failed in the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 tournament in his adopted home of Monte Carlo. The 26-year-old lost his third round match against Greece’s tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas despite a remarkable comeback in the second set 5:7, 6:7 (3:7).
In their 15th direct duel on the Court des Princes, Zverev and Tsitsipas fought a close first set in which little things made the difference. Tsitsipas, who has not yet been in top form this year, was a little more determined in the rallies than his German rival.
At the beginning of the second round, Zverev again carelessly missed a chance for an early break – then an inexplicable collapse followed. With a double break and confident service games, Tsitsipas moved ahead to 5-0. When he had nothing left to lose, Germany’s top player found his way back into the match. He fended off two match points and, among other things, forced his opponent into the tiebreak by winning five games in a row. There he made a few too many mistakes again and suffered his tenth defeat against the 2023 Australian Open finalist after 2:07 hours.
Tsitsipas: Match progress “very unusual”
Afterwards, Tsitsipas spoke of an “adventure” and said he doesn’t experience a match like that “every day”. The Greek said the match was “very unusual”: “I’m just trying to find out what happened.”
The Hamburg native Zverev missed his third quarter-final appearance in Monte-Carlo after 2018 and 2022 on his mother’s birthday. Tsitsipas will now face the Russian Karen Khachanow, who surprisingly defeated fourth-seeded compatriot Daniil Medvedev in two sets on Thursday.
The round of 16 match between Davis Cup player Jan-Lennard Struff and Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner from Italy is also scheduled for the afternoon. The sporting highlight of the clay court season is the French Open, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, which begins in Paris at the end of May.
dpa
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