French Open, quarter-finals, Wednesday, 05.06.2024
A thriller – again! Neutral tennis fans are having a lot of fun watching Alexander Zverev on court at the French Open, but his own supporters would have liked to spare their nerves once again.
The co-favorite for the title has lost a lot of energy and now has to regroup as quickly as possible to be on top of his game in the quarter-finals. The world number 11 is waiting for him there.
The bookies also favor the German this time, but his lead is melting away. In my Zverev de Minaur tip, I’ll tell you why I think this match is predestined for a bet over 3.5 sets
The goal is the title, the way to get there? It doesn’t matter, the main thing is to win! Alexander Zverev would of course love to progress from round to round in Paris without having to expend too much energy in order to manage his strength in the best possible way.
At the start of the French Open, it seemed as if he would do just that on the court. He beat Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, then won just as easily 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 against David Goffin.
In round 3, the spectators were treated to the first of two thrillers: a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 against Tallon Griekspoor. The 27-year-old actually wanted to return to the more confident results afterwards.
Unfortunately, Holger Rune didn’t allow him to do just that. After a sometimes spectacular duel, Zverev knew: “What a match! Holger is an incredible player, such a great talent. I’m so happy to have got through. ”
4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2, the second match point at 1.40 a.m., it was on. Sometimes the Olympic champion showed strong nerves, then he slipped up again unnecessarily and allowed Rune to close the gap again. Four hours and eleven minutes, that took its toll!
Zverev had the chance to break 23 times, but only managed to do so eight times. Rune, on the other hand, had the opportunity ten times and the German gave up one of his strong service games six times.
The 45% of points won on his second serve is unusually low, and he also fell short of 80% on his first. How quickly will he now manage to recover for the quarter-finals?
Alex de Minaur, an opponent against whom Zverev has won seven of his nine matches, awaits him there. The only two defeats came at the ATP Cup and the United Cup, so the really important matches have all gone to the German
In Rome two years ago, the only match on clay so far went straight to Zverev. Our bookmakers also see him ahead for this clash, offering odds of 1.38 to 3.00.
After the French Open, Zverev, who is known to be a big soccer fan, should be looking forward to the German national team’s performances at the European Championships. A good keyword, because the first European Championship free bets are already waiting for you!
First, however, his full concentration is on Alex de Minaur. The Australian has reached this quarter-final somewhat surprisingly, although as number 11 in the world he should always be on your radar.
He faced Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16. And once again it became clear that this Medvedev and the red clay were simply not going to be friends. De Minaur won 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 and at some point had the Russian completely under control
Four sets was how he had previously beaten Jan-Lennard Struff (4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4), also after falling behind. In the first two rounds, de Minaur had progressed smoothly.
Victories against Jaume Munar (7-5, 6-1, 6-4) and Alex Michelsen (6-1, 6-0, 6-2) were purely compulsory tasks, but Struff and Medvedev are of course not so easy to get out of the way.
At 1.83m, he is not the strongest on serve, only twice did he exceed 70 percent in terms of points won on the first service. But: It was still enough against Medvedev, who at 1.98m is just as tall as Zverev.
The Australian has yet to reach a semi-final on clay this season, but will he be able to do so at the French Open of all places? In fact, he never made it past the 2nd round in Paris, which makes his current run all the more surprising
My Zverev de Minaur tip
Alexander Zverev will have a lot of trouble shaking the ten sets of the last two matches out of his bones! Unnecessarily, the Olympic champion made it more exciting than he wanted, but will now also face one of his favorite opponents.
Alex de Minaur is surprisingly strong and recently took Daniil Medvedev out of the tournament. He doesn’t serve as well as Zverev, but his consistently solid game means he always has to be watched.
In any case, I think the Australian is capable of putting Zverev to the test. All in all, I’m expecting a high-class quarter-final in which both will have their weak phases and I’m betting on it:
Three sets won’t be enough here!
