Paris: Fans rose to cheer Rafael Nadal after a spectacular match against Alexander Zverev, who caused a huge upset by beating the 14-time winner in the men's singles first round of the French Open 2024 here.
Fourth-seeded Zverev handed Nadal a 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 defeat on Monday afternoon, the 27-year-old German becoming the first man to defeat Nadal before the fourth round at Roland Garros and joining Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic as the third man to defeat Nadal on the Parisian clay courts.
Nadal found moments of his vintage best tennis, especially with his trademark forehand passing shot. But Zverev's booming serve, aggressive forehand, and calm under pressure proved too much to overcome after three hours and five minutes.
“To be honest I don’t know what to say,” Zverev said on court after his win, before handing the mic to the Spanish legend.
“First of all, thank you, Rafa, from all of the tennis world. It’s such a great honour. I’ve watched Rafa play all my childhood, and I was lucky enough to play Rafa when I became a pro, I was lucky enough to play him two times on this beautiful court. Today is not my moment, it’s Rafa’s moment,” Zverev was quoted as saying by the official Roland Garros website.
Meanwhile, former French Open runner-up Sofia Kenin continued her resurgence with a straight sets upset of No.21 seed Caroline Garcia to reach the third round in women's singles for the fourth time.
