World No. 4 Alexander Zverev followed up his sensational victory against 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal with aggressive play against David Goffin, securing his place in the third round at Roland Garros on Thursday.
In a thrilling encounter, Zverev showcased his strong skills against seasoned Belgian Goffin, securing a hard-fought victory with a score of 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-2. The fourth-seeded German, who defeated Nadal in straight sets in the first round, played front-foot tennis against Goffin, hitting 37 winners under the roof on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to advance after two hours and 22 minutes.
Zverev expressed satisfaction with his recovery from the emotional victory over Nadal on Monday. “Since the draw came out, the only thing the tennis world was talking about was that match [against Nadal]. He won the tournament 14 times, so he deserves all the credit and respect and all the acknowledgements he gets. So after I beat him I felt that I had already won the tournament, but in the end, it is only a first round,” Zverev said when asked about his emotions over the past week as quoted by ATP.
“You have to focus for another two weeks entirely and I am happy I had another two days off as I had to compose myself emotionally. I had to ground myself and get back to work and play good tennis. I am extremely happy with the level today,” he added.
Zverev suffered a severe ankle injury at the 2022 clay-court major, twisting his ankle at the conclusion of the second set of his semi-final match against Nadal. After returning to the Tour last year, the 27-year-old has returned to his best form, having won his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome earlier this month.
The No. 4 player in the ATP Rankings is chasing his first major title and will face either Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor or Italian Luciano Darderi in the next round.
“When it is heavy, when it is slow, it is not ideal for me. I am someone who likes to be extremely aggressive, so when it is like that, it is not ideal. I felt the ball well today. Maybe a few mistakes but I knew David is an incredible player and someone who was difficult for me in the past. It showed in the first set, but I am happy I ran away with it,” Zverev said.
After a tight first set, Zverev shifted gears in the second and third sets to completely dominate former World No. 7 Goffin. The German made only five unforced errors in the second set and did not face a break point in the third set, improving to 4-2 in the ATP Head2Head series.
