Zverev beats injured Machac to rush into Roland-Garros third round

Alexander Zverev is flying through the tournament so far. After a quick win over Benjamin Bonzi in his opening match, the German got another straight-sets victory (6-4, 6-2, 6-2), this time against Tomas Machac, who was struggling with a left foot injury. With this win, Zverev moves into the third round, where he will face Quentin Halys, who won the all-French battle against Ugo Humbert earlier today.

Machac was supposed to be Zverev’s first real test, but the Czech player’s fitness ruined the match. By the end of the second set, he could barely run, after already signaling to his team that something was wrong earlier in the set. Still, the World No. 43 wanted to finish the match.

Zverev used plenty of drop shots—the perfect tactic for this situation—and played more and more freely as the match quickly came to an end. Finishing with 18 aces and 41 winners, the 2024 finalist saved a lot of energy, which could be very important later in the tournament.

“For one set, we played at a very high level. I’m happy to win in straight sets, but it’s never easy to play against an injured opponent because you still have to get the job done. I hope it’s nothing too serious for him,” Zverev said after the match.

Zverev will now face Quentin Halys for a spot in the second week. The German leads their head-to-head 1-0, after winning a close match with two tie-breaks in Miami just a few weeks ago.