Zverev, Gauff Qualify For French Open Quarter-final
World number three Alexander Zverev booked his place in the quarter-finals of the 2025 French Open after his opponent Tallon Griekspoor retired in the second set on Monday.
Griekspoor was trailing 6-4, 3-0 when he called on the medical team, and after a very brief discussion, the umpire announced his retirement.
He broke Zverev early in the match but was broken back twice as the German fought back to earn two consecutive breaks at the start of the second set to go 3-0 up before Griekspoor called it a day.
Zverev has now qualified for his seventh French Open quarter-final in eight years. He will now take on the winner between Cameron Norrie and Novak Djokovic in the last eight.
In the women’s category, world number two Coco Gauff earned a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach a fifth consecutive French Open quarterfinal.
She was impressed with her performance in the encounter.
Gauff said, “The whole match, I played well. She stepped up her game in the second set. Overall, I thought I played great.
“I move well on clay, really comfortable with sliding and moving on the surface. The most physical surface for sure, and I do well in that department.”
Sixth seed Mirra Andreeva also recorded a 6-3, 7-5 win over Daria Kasatkina on Monday to advance to the last eight of the tournament.
She has now qualified for her second major quarterfinal, having reached the last four at Roland Garros last year when she knocked out Aryna Sabalenka.
Andreeva admitted that she has improved in the last two years while targeting more victories.
She said, “I am very happy with today’s victory. I knew it was going to be a tough match. The last time we faced off, I lost in three sets; it was a dramatic match. I was prepared for the battle.
“I feel like she reads where I am going to hit the ball when I am going to drop a shot. She was running side to side on the court; it’s not a pleasant feeling, but it’s very intense. We had a lot of variety throughout the points and the match.
“I have improved physically; I am much stronger than two years ago. Also, I believe I think differently now than I did two years ago. I am much more positive on the court, and that is also one of my keys.
“I always try to fight for every point, whatever happens. I think for me, the two most important points that have changed are that I have improved physically and mentally.”
The 18-year-old is the youngest woman to reach back-to-back Roland Garros quarterfinals since Martina Hingis in 1997-98.
Zverev, Gauff Qualify For French Open Quarter-final is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
