Alexander Zverev escapes first round loss at the French Open
By Harry Floyd
German tennis star Alexander Zverev is in search of his first ever Grand Slam singles title. He narrowly escapes the first round at Roland Garros.
It was never a dull moment for Alexander Zverev during his opening round meeting with Australia’s John Millman. Zverev, entering the action at this year’s French Open as the fifth seed in men’s singles, narrowly escapes Millman. He wins an epic back and forth five-set thrilling, going 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Zverev enters the field at Roland Garros following a spectacular week of tennis in Geneva. His opener with Millman, however, was filled with plenty of drama, racquet smashing, and momentum swings. It is the fifth seed who advances though.
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Does the young German have what it takes to win the title at the 2019 French Open? He’s bringing some newfound momentum into the action following his play in Geneva. His success is all recent though, as Zverev has struggled to string consecutive tournament successes together for much of the past few months.
Still, the 22-year-old tennis star is among the best players in men’s singles tennis. He is the current ATP Finals champion, and appears destined to take home a Grand Slam title in the near future. His chances are as good as most, if not better, right now.
Of course, the favorites have to be Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Both are off to winning starts so far with Rafa dominating his opener at Roland Garros. Djokovic, the top seed and world number one is also looking to make it four consecutive Grand Slam singles titles.
Players such as Zverev cannot afford to put on too many marathon battles like the one he had with Millman. He defeats Millman in just over four hours whereas both Nadal and Djokovic ousted their opponents in straight sets. But, it’s early at the 2019 French Open and anything can happen in the upcoming rounds.
Alexander Zverev squares off against Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer next at the French Open. He looks to settle down and play a complete match from start to finish the way he ought to be. How far do you think Sascha can go at Roland Garros?