Zverev avoids shock exit in Paris thriller

Alexander Zverev reached the round of 16 of the French Open after overcoming a nervy five-set thriller against 26th-seeded Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.

The German fourth seed trailed by a double break 4-1 in the deciding set before winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10-3) on Saturday.

The victory came a day after a court case over allegations of domestic abuse against Zverev. It started in Berlin.

The Olympic champion, who denies accusations of having physically abused his ex-girlfriend, does not have to be present in court and has remained in Paris to compete in the clay court tournament.

Zverev, 27, is among the favorites to win the Coupe des Mousquetaires and claim his first Grand Slam title this fortnight.

Before the tournament, he insisted that the case was “not on my mind” and, after straight-set victories in his first two matches, he did not speak further on the subject.

Against Griekspoor, Zverev did not produce the same level of consistency in striking the ball and seemed to be on the end of a surprising result.

But Griekspoor felt the pressure as he tried to pull off what would have been the biggest victory of his career.

The 27-year-old had never before reached the round of 16 of a Major or beaten a top-10 opponent.

Zverev’s greater experience was shown in a confident tie-break and he will face 13th-seeded Dane Holger Rune or lucky Slovakian loser Jozef Kovalik for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It was an incredible match and he is an incredible player,” said Zverev, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros for the seventh consecutive year.

“He’s incredibly dangerous. I don’t like playing against him. You have to thank him for doing it to the end, it was one or two points here and there that made the difference.”

Zverev, who prepared for Roland Garros by winning the Rome title, sealed his ninth consecutive victory on clay with a 132 mph ace up the middle.

He raised both arms and received applause from the Parisian audience before thanking them for their support.

“To be honest, the atmosphere today was amazing, I enjoyed every second,” Zverev said.

“The support I get here, I don’t think I get at any other Grand Slam, so I really appreciate it.”

Medvedev passes but Shelton leaves

Earlier, fifth seed Daniil Medvedev overcame a third set wobble to beat Tomas Machac 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 1-6 6-4 and advance.

The Russian has made no secret of his dislike for clay courts, but he arrived in Paris feeling could do “great things” on the surface.

He had to work hard against the Czech Machac, who beat the world number one. Novak Djokovic in the Geneva Open semi-finals beginnings of May.

Medvedev lost an early break in the fourth set before recovering to secure the victory and set up a meeting with Alex de Minaur.

The Australian De Minaur, seeded eleventh, came back to beat the German Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3.

But American Ben Shelton, seeded number 15, suffered a complete defeat 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime will have a brief recovery when he faces third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the third session at Chatrier on Sunday.