Zverev, Verdasco Even Before Darkness Suspends Play

#NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev evened his first-round contest against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-3 before darkness suspended play on Monday evening at Roland Garros.

The ninth-seeded Zverev is fresh off his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome earlier this month (d. Djokovic). The win catapulted the 20-year-old German to No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, the first time he’s joined the elite group.

In Paris, Zverev, who reached the Roland Garros junior boys’ final just four years ago, is looking to get past the third round and achieve his best showing at a Grand Slam. The 6’6” right-hander reached the third round last year during his Roland Garros debut (l. to Thiem), at 2016 Wimbledon (l. to Berdych) and at the Australian Open earlier this year (l. to Nadal).

The 33-year-old Verdasco, meanwhile, is making his 14^th consecutive appearance at Roland Garros and his 56^th consecutive Grand Slam showing. He’s 12-1 in first round contests, with his only opening loss coming in 2005 to Robin Soderling.

Zverev beat Verdasco earlier this month on clay at the Mutua Madrid Open, but it was the Spaniard who started better on Monday, breaking Zverev twice in the first set and clinching the opener with a service winner. Zverev, however, bounced back in the second, recovering from an early break to even the contest after 80 minutes. They will resume their contest after a WTA match begins play on Tuesday on Philippe-Chatrier Court.

In other action, 10^th seed David Goffin needed only one hour and 50 minutes to beat 35-year-old French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Last year, Goffin marked his best Grand Slam result by reaching the last eight at Roland Garros (l. to Thiem). Goffin will next play Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky, who beat Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4).

“I wanted to be aggressive. I wanted to be involved in the match from the start. There was an early break in the first and second sets, so I put a lot of pressure on him and I made him move quite a lot,” Goffin said. “I served well when it mattered. I was quite accurate and precise. So, on the whole, three straight sets that were quite solid.”

Richard Gasquet, the 24^th seed, broke Belgian qualifier Arthur De Greef, who was making his Grand Slam debut, seven times to advance 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Gasquet moves into the second round for the seventh consecutive time. “I’m happy I decided to hang on and stay there, I did my best,” Gasquet said.

The 30-year-old Frenchman, though, surely has his sights set on matching his career-best run of a year ago in Paris, when he advanced to the Roland Garros quarter-finals before losing to eventual finalist Andy Murray.

Gasquet, who’s playing in his 14^th Roland Garros, will next face Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic. Estrella Burgos came back from two sets down to beat Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-7(11), 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-2.

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Spaniard David Ferrer battled American Donald Young for nearly four and a half hours before coming through 5-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 13-11. Ferrer, who recently celebrated his 700^th match win, hit 13 aces and won 80 per cent of his first-serve points (86/108).

He will next face countryman Feliciano Lopez, who also prevailed past an American. Lopez beat Pittsburgh native Bjorn Fratangelo 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3. Lopez is playing in his 61^st consecutive Grand Slam, the longest streak amongst active players.

Go inside the tournament at RolandGarros.com.