Last year’s Roland Garros finalist, Alexander Zverev, has moved into the third round in Paris after overcoming a shaky start to defeat Jesper de Jong in four sets: 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3. The match lasted two hours and 58 minutes.
De Jong, who served at just 49%, struggled to maintain consistency, losing nearly half the points on his own serve. He faced 13 break points and was broken seven times, ending his run in the second round.
Zverev finished the match with 43 winners and a similar number of unforced errors. He approached the net nearly 50 times and found success with his aggressive play forward. De Jong started strong, breaking Zverev early and saving a break point to race ahead 3-0. He held firm and took the opening set 6-3 in 45 minutes, finishing it with a clean passing shot at the net.
Zverev quickly regrouped in the second set, saving two break points early on before breaking in the second game with a net winner. He held serve comfortably to go up 4-1, then secured a break at love in the sixth game. A forced error from De Jong in the following game gave Zverev the set 6-1, evening the match after 80 minutes of play.
The third set saw De Jong resist early pressure but eventually surrender his serve at 2-2. Zverev saved a break point in the next game and extended his lead with a forehand crosscourt winner for a second break, making it 5-2. He then served out the set at love, taking a two-sets-to-one lead after just over two hours.
In the fourth set, Zverev broke De Jong at love in the opening game with a net winner. He then saved two break points in the second game to consolidate. Another forehand winner down the line gave him a double break and a 3-0 lead. Though De Jong managed to save a break point and recover one break, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
Zverev now awaits his next opponent as he continues his campaign for a maiden Grand Slam title.
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