Alexander Zverev navigated a late-night challenge at the French Open, ultimately securing a 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 victory over local competitor Quentin Halys. The win propels the German into a significantly altered final 16 field.
Zverev Battles Through Fourth Set
Zverev managed to break Halys’s serve in the Frenchman’s opening service game in all four sets. While he secured a second break to clinch the first two sets, the draw, now more open, seemed to affect his play. Roared on by the evening crowd, the 90th-ranked Halys, a resident of the Roland Garros neighborhood, mounted a comeback. As the clock struck midnight, Halys forced a fourth set.
In the decisive fourth set, Zverev established an early 3-0 lead. He then clinched the match in a lengthy eighth game, concluding the contest after three hours and 10 minutes.
Player’s Perspective
“I knew I just had to stay with my game and I’m going to get my chances and in the fourth set I did,” Zverev stated after the match. “I’m very happy I could finish it at 1am not 3am.”
A Star-Diminished Draw
The 29-year-old Zverev, currently ranked third globally, entered the tournament as the second seed due to the withdrawal of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. He now stands as the highest-ranked remaining male player after Jannik Sinner’s earlier defeat.
Zverev’s match followed a dramatic five-set comeback victory by 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca over Novak Djokovic. At the start of the evening, the remaining men in the draw collectively held 24 Grand Slam singles titles, all belonging to the 39-year-old Serbian.
Within the current last 16, only Zverev and Norway’s Casper Ruud have reached a Grand Slam final, with each having lost three. Zverev is slated to face Jesper de Jong in the next round. The 106th-ranked Dutchman achieved a significant upset by defeating 13th seed Karen Khachanov in a five-set thriller.
“I hope to give myself the chance to win all the matches I play,” Zverev added.
