Two Sets Down? No Problem For Zverev, Who Surges Past Otte

  • Posted: May 30, 2021

Alexander Zverev refused to become the second high-seeded casualty on the bottom half of the Roland Garros draw on Sunday. While two-time finalist Dominic Thiem fell in five sets earlier in the day, the German rallied past countryman Oscar Otte 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 to reach the second round.

The sixth seed is now 7-0 in five-setters on the Parisian clay and 16-7 in five-setters overall. This was the second time he has rallied from two sets down, having also done so in last year’s US Open semi-finals against Pablo Carreno Busta.

“I thought that in the first two sets he played actually quite well. He did exactly what somebody who is playing a top player in the first round of a major [needs to do],” Zverev said. “He already played three matches. I didn’t have the match rhythm yet. He did everything right I feel like. He was serving well. He was hitting the ball hard whenever he had the chance. I was reacting.

“Once I got the break in the third set, I started to maybe hit the ball a little bit harder with my backhand. My forehand started to be a little bit heavier, I thought, and I didn’t give him as many chances to play aggressive anymore.”

Although Zverev was pushed to a deciding set, the 24-year-old was able to advance after two hours and 49 minutes. The two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist will next play Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, who beat Spanish qualifier Carlos Taberner 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-0, 6-2. Safiullin won the junior title at the 2015 Australian Open.

Otte did not lose a set in qualifying, and his confidence showed in the early going against Zverev, as he played freely and pushed Zverev back. But the sixth seed never panicked or got overly frustrated. And once he surged ahead in the third set and began to move up in the court, Otte was unable to find any answers.

Zverev broke the World No. 152’s serve eight times. And although he will want to clean up his eight double faults, the German won 59 per cent of his second-serve points and finished off his victory with his 50th winner, a backhand up the line off his back foot.

“He was playing great. He was doing all the right things, but still, I was not playing great. I was not playing well. I knew once my ball started to go a little bit deeper, once my ball started to be a little bit heavier, he would not be able to do the things he was doing the first two sets,” Zverev said. “I feel like that changed a little bit also in the third set. In the fourth set once I got the break I saw that he was starting to get a little bit more tired, and I tried to play as quickly as possible to not let him back in the match.”

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This was Otte’s third Grand Slam main draw appearance, with his previous two coming at Roland Garros as a lucky loser. It was the 27-year-old’s first tour-level match of the season.

Zverev will not play a seeded opponent until at least the fourth round, as Miomir Kecmanovic eliminated 25th seed Daniel Evans 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. The Serbian will face countryman Laslo Djere in the second round after the 2019 Rio de Janeiro champion ousted home favourite Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(2), 7-5.

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