PARIS, June 3, 2018
Alexander Zverev reaches his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal after a third consecutive five-set victory at Roland Garros. The No. 2 seed from Germany rallied past Russian young gun Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon.
In a great meeting between the two youngest remaining players in the men’s draw it was 21-year-old Zverev, who fired 17 aces as well as 63 winners to extend his stay in the French capital after three hours and 29 minutes.
“I was down 1-2 in sets and managed to come back. I am unbelievable happy to reach the quarterfinals but the draw doesn’t get easier. We will see how I will feel the next couple of days,” Zverev told during his on-court interview with Marion Bartoli.
“All the hours in the gym paid off. That’s the reason why we all do it. I am happy to have a team, which does all the hard work with me.”
Alexander Zverev (aged 21 years 51 days) becomes the youngest man to reach the last 8 at @rolandgarros since Juan Martin del Potro advanced to the quarterfinals in Paris aged 20 years 257 days in 2009.
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) 3. Juni 2018
German male players in quarterfinals at Grand Slams in Open Era. Alexander Zverev is now in this list!
Becker (22x)
Stich (10x)
Haas (8x)
Kiefer (5x)
Schüttler, Mayer, Popp, Karbacher (2x)
Kohlschreiber, M. Zverev, Dreekmann, Radulescu, Kühnen, Faßbender, Meiler, Pohmann (1x)— Albi Barschel (@AlbiBarschel) 3. Juni 2018
Next up for Zverev will be Dominic Thiem, who edged out Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes. The 24-year-old from Wiener Neustadt reaches a third consecutive quarterfinal at the French Open and become just the second Austrian player – man or woman – to reach the last 8 at a major on three or more occasions, after Thomas Muster, who reached 9 Grand Slam quarterfinals.
The pair will meet for the seventh time with Thiem leading 4-2 in head-to-head records. Yet, it was Zverev who won the last clash between the two in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open last month.
In the women’s draw, Madison Keys secured a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania to reach the quarterfinala at the French Open for the first time in her career. The US-American also conserved energy winning in only one hour and five minutes.
The 13th seed, coached by Lindsay Davenport, will next play either No. 26 seed Barbora Strycova or Yulia Putintseva.
