Alexander Zverev on Sunday cruised into the quarter-finals of the French Open 2022 after defeating Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
It may have been a straight-set win for the German at Roland Garros, but the path to victory was anything but smooth for the third seed against Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Zverev clinched a marathon opening set in a dramatic tie-break and was forced to recover from a breakdown in the second before going on to seal a 7-6(11), 7-5, 6-3 triumph over the No. 131-ranked Spanish qualifier.
Zapata Miralles was making his first appearance in the fourth round of a Grand Slam and despite a nervy start, the Spaniard looked at home on the big stage.
He capitalised on any drop in level from Zverev to ensure the German was never comfortable but the World No. 3's greater firepower was ultimately enough to take him to a two-hour, 45-minute win.
Despite lacking consistency throughout, it was Zverev's ability to hit through the ball off both wings that proved the difference on Court Suzanne Lenglen. He struck 34 winners to just 13 from Zapata Miralles, but Zverev will hope to reduce his unforced error count of 63 for his quarter-final matchup with Carlos Alcaraz or Karen Khachanov.
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