Alexander Zverez survives another five-set match and advances to the fourth round.<\/b>
\nPARIS \u2014 Talented and pegged-for-success as Alexander Zverev might be, there he was in the French Open\u2019s main stadium Friday, on the precipice of a third-round defeat and yet another Grand Slam disappointment.
A loss would have left the No. 2-seeded Zverev with an 0-8 record at major tournaments against men ranked in the top 50. A loss also would have left his resume still with merely one trip as far as the round of 16 at any Slam \u2013 and zero such runs at Roland Garros.
In the fourth set, his opponent served for the victory. In the fifth, the circumstances were more dire: Zverev faced a match point. Both times, he proved steadier and sturdier than Damir Dzumhur, a Bosnian ranked 29th and seeded 26th, and Zverev eventually prevailed 6-2,3-6,4-6,7-6 (3), 7-5 in 3 hours, 54 minutes.
It gave the 21-year-old German his second consecutive five-set win; he trailed two sets to one in each. It also showed \u2013 not just to others but, perhaps more importantly, to Zverev himself \u2013 that he can handle such occasions, that he is capable of doing what\u2019s necessary when the sets and hours add up, and that he is perhaps finally ready to stride into the very last days at a major. He\u2019s the only active player outside of the \u201cBig 4\u201d of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray with three Masters titles. But Grand Slam success has been elusive.
As for what sort of internal strife was happening in Zverev\u2019s head Friday?
\u201cNone,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cMainly, I was thinking (about) what I was going to have for lunch.\u201d
Well, then.
He acknowledged drawing a dose of confidence from managing to win two five-setters in a row, \u201cknowing that I\u2019m fit enough to last as long as I want.\u201d
In contrast, No. 4 Grigor Dimitrov was unable to pull off back-to-back five-set wins. The two-time major semifinalist fell to 0-7 against top-50 foes at the French Open with a 7-6 (4), 6-2,6-4 loss to 35th-ranked Fernando Verdasco.
\u201cI lost my nerves early on,\u201d Dimitrov said. \u201cHe played an absolutely stunning match. What can I say?\u201d
Verdasco\u2019s seventh career fourth-round match at Roland Garros \u2013 he\u2019s never won one \u2013 will come against 2016 champion Djokovic, who seemed to come alive after obliterating his racket in the second-set tiebreaker and wound up eliminating No. 13 Roberto Bautista-Agut 6-4,6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2.
\u201cSometimes emotions get the worst out of you, you know,\u201d Djokovic said, \u201cor the best out of you, whatever you want to call it.\u201d
In Dzumhur\u2019s case, he was afflicted by jitters while on the verge of making it to a major\u2019s last 16 for the first time.
Dzumhur served for the match leading 6-5 in the fourth set. But everything fell apart with this sequence: forehand into the net, forehand wide, drop shot into the net, backhand into the net. Just like that, he\u2019d been broken at love. A later errant backhand ended the tiebreaker.
\u201cI was not mentally ready to win that match in the fourth set. And I just was rushing a little bit in that service game,\u201d Dzumhur said, before offering some credit to Zverev. \u201cHe was playing very smart in that moment. He let me do mistakes.\u201d
Ahead 5-4 in the fifth, Dzumhur was one point from winning while Zverev served at 30-40. But Zverev \u2013 at 6-foot-6, he is 9 inches (20 centimeters) taller than Dzumhur \u2013 came up with the goods, a 118 mph service winner.
Dzumhur again helped Zverev, putting a pair of easy backhands into the net, then later said of the first of those: \u201cThat\u2019s the point that I will probably remember.\u201d
Perhaps Zverev will, too.
More likely, he won\u2019t fuss too much over the details, including that Dzumhur entered the French Open with a losing record this year.
Instead, it\u2019s the outcome that matters. That didn\u2019t used to be the case, when Zverev was 12 and coached by Dad.
His father taught Sascha, as Zverev is called by many, and brother Mischa \u2013 in third-round action Saturday \u2013 the importance at that age of process over results, preparing them for success not as juniors but as pros.
And now?
\u201cI\u2019m trying to win. That\u2019s all that matters. It doesn\u2019t matter how long it goes. It doesn\u2019t matter how much time I\u2019ll spend on court,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if it goes 9-7 in the fifth or it goes 6-1,6-1,6-2.\u201d
He seems more equipped for the former now than ever.
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