Alexander Zverev booked his spot in the Roland Garros quarter-finals after his opponent, Tallon Griekspoor, retired due to an abdominal injury during their match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Zverev led the contest 6-4, 3-0 before Griekspoor, visibly struggling with his serve, decided to call it quits after 54 minutes of play. The Dutchman had started strong, taking a 3-0 lead in the first set, but as the match progressed, his limited serving power made it impossible to compete at the highest level.
“Unfortunately, this morning and in the warm-up, I pulled my abdominal muscle, which meant I couldn’t serve properly or play the way I wanted,” Griekspoor explained after the match. He had undergone a pre-match scan, but the results were inconclusive due to the timing of the injury.
This latest clash was part of an ongoing rivalry between the two players. Earlier this year, Griekspoor had secured an upset win over Zverev in Indian Wells before the German exacted his revenge in Munich, where he eventually claimed the title. Their head-to-head record now stands at 8-2 in Zverev’s favour.
Zverev, ranked No. 3 in the ATP rankings, is on a quest for his maiden Grand Slam title after falling just short in the 2024 Roland Garros final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller. With confidence in his game, he now prepares for a quarter-final showdown against either Novak Djokovic or Cameron Norrie.
With the victory, Zverev cements his dominance on the clay courts of Paris as he inches closer to claiming his first major title. Will this be the year he finally lifts the Roland Garros trophy?
