Zverev wraps up suspended second-round match in five sets

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev reached the third round at Wimbledon for the third year in succession when he came from 2-1 down to complete a 6-4 5-7 6-7(0) 6-1 6-2 victory over Taylor Fritz in their suspended match on Friday.

By :  migrator
Update: 2018-07-06 15:29 GMT
Alexander Zverev

London

The second-round clash, which lasted three hours 12 minutes, was suspended on Thursday evening in fading light with the 20-year-old American Fritz leading 2-1 after taking a marathon third set when he dominated the tiebreak, winning it 7-0.

“Stopping at 2-1 down was not a nice feeling but I played better than yesterday,” said Zverev, like Fritz a former world junior number one. “I think (today) showed I am playing my best tennis.”

It was the fourth time in six Grand Slam matches that the 21-year-old German has come back from 2-1 down to win five-setters, after three at the French Open.

Earlier, South African eighth seed Kevin Anderson reached the last 16 for the fourth time with a straight-sets win over experienced German Philipp Kohlschreiber. The way he played in his 6-3 7-5 7-5 victory suggested Anderson could go further than ever before at the All England Club.

Anderson, 32, pressured Kohlschreiber from the start and was gifted an early and decisive break as the German double-faulted and he netted a forehand in the second game.

Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Madison Keys became the latest title-contender to fall at Wimbledon when the American 10th seed lost 7-5 5-7 6-4 to Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina in the third round on Friday.

The 23-year-old looked like salvaging a place in the last 16 when she clawed her way back from a set and 4-0 down to take the match into a decider on a hot and humid Court Three.

But world number 120 Rodina, who needed treatment early in the decider, refused to crack and broke the Keys serve at 4-4.

She slipped 15-30 behind as she tried to serve it out but Keys netted an easy volley.

Rodina got to match point with a stunning forehand pass played almost on her knees. Keys then netted a forehand, her 48th unforced error of the match, to hand the Russian victory.

The defeat of the U.S. Open runner-up means only three of the top 10 seeds are left in the women’s draw.

Only two of the top eight survived to the third round — the lowest at Wimbledon in the professional era.

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