Time stood still in Court Philippe-Chatrier on Monday as fans saw probably the final match of Rafael Nadal in the French Open. The SBOTOP French Open 2024 odds were stacked against the King of Clay, and alas, he was defeated in the first round by Alexander Zverev.
After the win over Nadal, Zverev went on to beat David Goffin, and now he is considered one of the favourites to win it all.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic has temporarily silenced his doubters about his form after cruising past his first two opponents, while Casper Ruud’s road back to the final doesn’t appear to be as straightforward as he expected.
Zverev’s fine form continues
Alexander Zverev came to Roland Garros in high spirits after winning the Italian Open not too long ago, and he remains that way with victories over Rafael Nadal and David Goffin.
In the opening round, Zverev won 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 against Nadal. Zverev was pushed to the limit by the 14-time Rolando Garros champion after a dominant first set, who had vintage moments, especially with his trademark forehand shots.
However, Nadal was worn down by Zverev’s elite serve and forehand as the match went on, and the German finished the job in three hours and five minutes.
Zverev became the third player to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, joining Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling.
Three days later, Alexander Zverev followed up the Nadal victory with a 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2 win over David Goffin.
Zverev had to work hard to win the first-set tiebreak and broke early in the second. But after that, he had full control over his Belgian counterpart, as the German only had five unforced errors in the second set and did not face a break point in the third set. The 27-year-old also hit 37 winners in the match that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
With two consecutive wins over Roland Garros, Alexander Zverev has stretched his winning streak to eight straight matches, and he’ll take on Tallon Griekspoor in the next round tomorrow.
No sweat for Djokovic so far
Novak Djokovic said before the tournament that he should not be considered the favourite. However, he is playing like one, as he has now reached the Round of 32 of the French Open for a staggering 19 straight times.
Djokovic opened his Roland Garros campaign with a 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4 victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who, according to the Serb, gave him some problems.
Herbert’s powerful serve and touch made it difficult for Djokovic in the second set, but the latter held his nerve for the crucial tiebreak. After taking a 3/0 lead in the tiebreak, Djokovic took the set and never looked back, taking advantage of Herbert’s poor baseline game.
The second-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena, on the other hand, was more straightforward for Novak Djokovic, who won with a score of 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.
Djokovic was broken in the opening game by Carballes Baena, but he had a reply right away by earning a crucial break while leading 5-4 on serve. Since then, the setback proved too great for Carballes Baena, as he was broken several more times to lose to the reigning world No. 1.
Novak Djokovic is set to face Lorenzo Musetti, with whom he has a 5-0 head-to-head record, in the next round.
However, the bigger picture for Djokovic in this major tournament is winning his first title of the year (and 25th career Grand Slam) and maintaining his top spot in the ATP rankings. He must reach at least the final to have a chance to fend off Jannik Sinner, who is currently the second seed.
Ruud almost given a rude awakening
After back-to-back trips to the Roland Garros final, Casper Ruud is eager to win it all this time around. The Norwegian international is through to the third round with positive French Open 2024 results over Felipe Alves and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Ruud’s 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win against Davidovich Fokina is easily one of the most thrilling results so far in Roland Garros, as it went to five sets that lasted nearly four hours.
With both players going back-and-forth in the first three sets, Ruud had a 2-1 lead, but Davidovich Fokina roared back to force a final set.
Ruud regained his bearings in the fifth and claimed the first break of the final set to earn a 5-3 lead. In the end, Davidovich Fokina ran out of gas as he lost serve at love to send Ruud to the next round.
Casper Ruud is scheduled to face Tomas Martin Etcheverry tomorrow, who won the previous round via a walkover.
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