Latest news with #JesperDeJong
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Zverev survives De Jong drop shot bonanza to advance
The 28-year-old said he felt very comfortable once he found his rhythm. (AP pic) PARIS : Third seed Alexander Zverev had to chase down dozens of drop shots from sprightly Dutchman Jesper de Jong before earning a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory on Thursday to advance to the French Open third round. The 28-year-old Zverev, a finalist in Paris last year and looking for his first Grand Slam title, found himself a break down with De Jong, ranked 88th in the world, who initially matched the German's baseline power punch for punch. De Jong, bidding to become the first Dutch player to record a win over a top-three player on any clay tournament in 25 years, quickly added drop shots to his arsenal to land the first set. 'It wasn't the best set of tennis, the first,' Zverev said in a post-match interview. 'I am still having chances not playing great. Once I found my rhythm, I felt very comfortable.' 'I am happy about my level. He played a fantastic match also. I hope I can continue playing great tennis and we will see what I can achieve.' At least a semi-finalist in the past four French Opens, Zverev remained composed and twice broke his opponent to bag the second set. De Jong, however, increased his drop shot rate dramatically – even hitting three on consecutive points in the first game of the third set – to force the tall Zverev out of his comfort zone at the baseline. The world number three gradually adapted to this play, however, chasing down drop shot number 26 to earn a break point at 2-2 in the third set. He converted it to take control and never looked back. With De Jong gradually running out of steam and his error count rising sharply, Zverev powered to two more breaks and a 4-0 lead to break his opponent's resistance and he sealed the win when De Jong sank another drop shot into the net. Zverev will next play the winner of the all-Italian clash between Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli.
Reuters
3 days ago
- General
- Reuters
Zverev survives De Jong drop shot bonanza to advance
PARIS, May 29 (Reuters) - Third seed Alexander Zverev had to chase down dozens of drop shots from sprightly Dutchman Jesper de Jong before earning a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory on Thursday to advance to the French Open third round. The 28-year-old Zverev, a finalist in Paris last year and looking for his first Grand Slam title, found himself a break down with De Jong, ranked 88th in the world, initially matching the German's baseline power punch for punch. De Jong, bidding to become the first Dutch player to record a win over a top-three player on any clay tournament in 25 years, quickly added drop shots to his arsenal to land the first set. "It wasn't the best set of tennis, the first," Zverev said in a post-match interview. "I am still having chances not playing great. Once I found my rhythm I felt very comfortable." "I am happy about my level. He played a fantastic match also. I hope I can continue playing great tennis and we will see what I can achieve." At least a semi-finalist in the past four French Opens, Zverev remained composed and twice broke his opponent to bag the second set. De Jong, however, increased his drop shot rate dramatically -- even hitting three on consecutive points in the first game of the third set -- to force the tall Zverev out of his comfort zone at the baseline. The world number three gradually adapted to this play, however, chasing down drop shot number 26 to earn a break point at 2-2 in the third set. He converted it to take control and never looked back. With De Jong gradually running out of steam and his error count rising sharply, Zverev powered to two more breaks and a 4-0 lead to break his opponent's resistance and he sealed the win when De Jong sank another drop shot into the net. Zverev will next play the winner of the all-Italian clash between Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli.
CNA
3 days ago
- General
- CNA
Zverev survives De Jong drop shot bonanza to advance
PARIS : Third seed Alexander Zverev had to chase down dozens of drop shots from sprightly Dutchman Jesper de Jong before earning a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory on Thursday to advance to the French Open third round. The 28-year-old Zverev, a finalist in Paris last year and looking for his first Grand Slam title, found himself a break down with De Jong, ranked 88th in the world, initially matching the German's baseline power punch for punch. De Jong, bidding to become the first Dutch player to record a win over a top-three player on any clay tournament in 25 years, quickly added drop shots to his arsenal to land the first set. "It wasn't the best set of tennis, the first," Zverev said in a post-match interview. "I am still having chances not playing great. Once I found my rhythm I felt very comfortable." "I am happy about my level. He played a fantastic match also. I hope I can continue playing great tennis and we will see what I can achieve." At least a semi-finalist in the past four French Opens, Zverev remained composed and twice broke his opponent to bag the second set. De Jong, however, increased his drop shot rate dramatically - even hitting three on consecutive points in the first game of the third set - to force the tall Zverev out of his comfort zone at the baseline. The world number three gradually adapted to this play, however, chasing down drop shot number 26 to earn a break point at 2-2 in the third set. He converted it to take control and never looked back. With De Jong gradually running out of steam and his error count rising sharply, Zverev powered to two more breaks and a 4-0 lead to break his opponent's resistance and he sealed the win when De Jong sank another drop shot into the net. Zverev will next play the winner of the all-Italian clash between Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli.
CNA
5 days ago
- General
- CNA
Zverev cruises into French Open round two
PARIS :Last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev cantered into the second round of the French Open with a dominant 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over American Learner Tien on Tuesday. The German third seed, still chasing an elusive maiden Grand Slam title, broke once in each set to advance comfortably and set up a meeting with Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands or Italian Francesco Passaro. "It was a good start to the tournament," said Zverev. I'm happy with the three-set win, usually it's more four or five sets in first matches. Hopefully it will continue like this and it will be a fun two weeks here." The fact that Tien, the world 67, had already beaten him, helped Zverev keep his feet on the ground throughout on court Suzanne Lenglen. "He beat a lot of great opponents - (Daniil) Medvedev at the Australian Open and me in Acapulco," Zverev recalled. "He is going climb up the rankings. Today it helped that I played him once before, maybe it helped that I lost also to him. I am happy with the performance all around."
Reuters
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Zverev cruises into French Open round two
PARIS, May 27 (Reuters) - Last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev cantered into the second round of the French Open with a dominant 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over American Learner Tien on Tuesday. The German third seed, still chasing an elusive maiden Grand Slam title, broke once in each set to advance comfortably and set up a meeting with Jesper De Jong of the Netherlands or Italian Francesco Passaro. "It was a good start to the tournament," said Zverev. I'm happy with the three-set win, usually it's more four or five sets in first matches. Hopefully it will continue like this and it will be a fun two weeks here." The fact that Tien, the world 67, had already beaten him, helped Zverev keep his feet on the ground throughout on court Suzanne Lenglen. "He beat a lot of great opponents - (Daniil) Medvedev at the Australian Open and me in Acapulco," Zverev recalled. "He is going climb up the rankings. Today it helped that I played him once before, maybe it helped that I lost also to him. I am happy with the performance all around."
