Zverev Rallies to Overcome Griekspoor, Faces Resurgent Goffin in Shanghai
Alexander Zverev beats Tallon Griekspoor (not pictured) to reach the round of 16 in Shanghai, China. October 8, 2024. Photo credit: Rolex Shanghai Masters/Frey.

Second seed Alexander Zverev survived a tough test posed by Dutch Tallon Griekspoor at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, advancing to his ninth straight Round of 16 Masters 1000 on Tuesday night.

World number three Alexander Zverev made it through a top-class tennis third-rounder in Shanghai by earning a dramatic 7-6(6), 2-6, 7-6(5) victory over Dutch Tallon Griekspoor after two hours and 48 minutes on Tuesday in Stadium Court.

In his on-court interview, the Hamburg native outlined: “It was a tough match, going back and forth. I thought he was a bit lucky during the third set, and I got very lucky in the tiebreak, so we equaled each other out.”

In his return to the Masters 1000 event after finishing runner-up in 2019, Zverev crossed paths with an opponent he knows well, having met five times on tour before their Tuesday night matchup at the Qi Zhong Tennis Centre.

It was an incredible match; he is someone I always struggle against,” Zverev added. “We always have extremely tough matches; he should be a lot higher ranked than he is. He needs to look at why he is not playing like that every single week. He could be Top 15, Top 10 in the world.”

As the first set wore on, the Dutchman went toe-to-toe with the 22-time ATP titlist, displaying a high-quality tennis performance to push his adversary to a grueling tiebreak, ultimately won by the German player in 67 minutes.

Fine margins separated the contenders, as Griekspoor excelled on serve, winning 82 percent of the points on his first delivery against Zverev, whose booming serve is one of the best on tour.

Nonetheless, the 27-year-old found an edge, winning a higher percentage of second-serve points, 58 to 50 percent, respectively.

Both fired 15 winners each, saving all break points they faced.

Griekspoor opened the second set with a break and never looked back.

He dominated play, opening a staggering 5-0 advantage before closing out 6-2 in only 34 minutes.

With a spot in the round of 16 on the line, there was no margin for error, so they went the distance, challenging one another game after game.

Zverev missed four break points opportunities in the 12th game, leading to a decisive tiebreak.

The two-time Nitto ATP Finals winner hit first, earning a mini break and racing to open a 6-2 lead.

However, an outstanding late challenge saw the 28-year-old narrowing the gap to 5-6. Then, a forehand volley into the net halted his efforts, handing Zverev his win No. 59 of the year.

Moreover, he reached a new career milestone, progressing to the round of 16 at every Masters 1000 tournament this season.

Overall, he finished with 43 winners against 27 unforced errors, compared to the former ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion 36 to 28.

Zverev won 74 percent of the points behind his first serve, converting 1 of 10 break-point chances.

Next, he will play Belgian David Goffin, who booked his spot in the sweet 16 of a Masters 1000 venue for the first time since May 2022 by defeating American Marcos Giron 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, earlier in the day.

The second seed leads the resurgent Belgian player 4-2 in their series.

Cecilia demartini
Sports Pundit staff writer @ceci_2812
Cecilia is a writer and journalist, passionate about motorsport and tennis.Her articles are published in newspapers and international online publications.

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