After defeating Dennis Novak in straight sets at the first round of the French Open 2020, Alexander Zverev was up against Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the second round. Though Zverev earned a spot in the third round by defeating the Frenchman 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, and 6-4, it was a journey full of thorns for him.

The match went into the fifth set as the World No.78 gave a tough competition to the US Open 2020 runner-up. After losing the first set, Zverev did not look comfortable even in the third and fourth sets. In the third set, which he won in a tie-breaker, it was evident he was struggling.

“Tennis is an easy sport when you are not playing at your best. I was not in my best, far away from it, but I managed to win,” Sacha reflected after his win.

The First Set was a disaster for Alexander Zverev

The German lost the first set 2-6. He did not look confident, was not serving well, and the determination to end the match quickly was not visible. On the other hand, Herbert was facing no issues at all as his backhand had the desired pace and forehand was in full control.

Zverev impressed the fans with some of his classic skills but failed to win the set. He made too many unforced errors and double-faults, giving away free points to the Frenchman.

Second, Third and Fourth Sets: The Electrifying sets

It was the second set that gave Zverev some momentum. He delivered some fine and well-placed serves to which the Frenchman had no answer. He was back with his well-timed backhands winners as well. Something that was clearly missing in the first set.

The third set advanced to the tie-breaker, in which, Zverev was trailing 1-3 at one point. However, he did not give up and continued to fight to win 7-5 in the tie-breaker.

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The fourth set again witnessed some good rallies-most of which were dominated by the 29-year-old Herbert. He kept his calm under pressure and showed his temperament. He went on to win the set 6-4. With the momentum on his side, he had the advantage in the fifth and final set.

Even though the World No.7 managed to win 2 out of 3 of these sets, he was clearly not happy with his gameplay. He was cursing himself and appeared frustrated.

The drama continues in the Fifth Set

When Zverev maintained a 3-0 lead in the fifth set, it looked like that it was going to be over soon for Herbert. But it was not the case. Again, the Frenchman made something of a comeback and managed to bring the scoreline back to 3-3 and then to 4-4. But soon after, Zverev did not give cheap points away and won the remaining two games to win the set 6-4 and thus, the match.