The final match in Marseille was thought to have been the match of the day between Tomas Berdych and Alexander Zverev, and the pair did not disappoint as Berdych overcame the challenge from the spirited youngster to book a place in the Marseille final eight after facing a second set backlash.
Berdych Recovers From A Break Down To Clinch The Opener
The tall pair had met once previously with Berdych claiming the 6-3, 6-4 win in Stockholm last year, but Zverev has been improving of late, and even beat tour veteran Gilles Simon in Rotterdam last week meaning this was not going to be as straightforward for the number two seed.
The match started with each player holding comfortably, before the young German took the early advantage by breaking at the second time of asking. Any momentum he had gained was quickly wiped out as Berdych broke back immediately with a strong forehand. The next three games were straightforward holds for either player, with Berdych getting to 30 the only real game to note. At 3-4, Zverev hit a double-fault to go break point down, but saved it with an unreturned first serve. Berdych was pressing with strong returns, and gained another break after seizing upon his second opportunity of the game. The Czech had the chance to serve for the set and didn’t blink once, winning the first set with some excellent, strong forehands.
The key stat of the opening set was the comparison between the player’s first serve points won, with Berdych winning eighty-four percent on his first delivery, compared to fifty-nine percent from his young German opponent.
Zverev Levels Things Up With Impressive Serving
Zverev was serving at a high rate of seventy-seven percent, but just couldn’t consistently get any rewards in his return games. This showed in the opening six games of the second set, where neither player won a single point on return in an impressive display of serving. From 40-15 up, Berdych found himself struggling to hold, as he was brought back to deuce. He eventually did hold with an ace before Zverev held at love for the fourth consecutive service game. This pressure applied on Berdych was shown in the following game, as he was broken despite saving two previous break points. Even though he finally won a return point in set two, Berdych could not save the match from heading into a decider, losing the set 3-6.
Zverev continued to serve at seventy-seven percent, but he won an astonishing twenty out of twenty one points on his serve during the second set. Berdych’s serving level dramatically dropped to thirty-eight percent first serve, with only the one break enough for the match to go into an expected third set.
Berdych Clinches Victory In A Tense Final Set
The first four games of the decider were relatively tight, with only Berdych in game three being taken as far as deuce. In the fifth game he was under pressure yet again, saving a break point leading to an ace to wrap up the hold. In the following game, Berdych got what seemed the vital break of the match, securing the advantage with strong returns and groundstrokes.
The Czech had one foot in the final eight after holding to 15 in the next game, before creating two match points thanks to more strong returning. Zverev saved both, including an ace on the first to force the question of whether or not the more-experienced Berdych could serve the victory out. Zverev answered the question himself with a resounding no, as he broke back to continue the match, holding to love to level the final set at 5-5. He had another massive opportunity to serve out the match himself but missed out as Berdych held to earn at least a final set tie-breaker. Another two match points appeared for him, and this time he converted at the first attempt, winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 after a long rally.
Thoughts On The Match
This was an important win for second seed in Marseille, given that he had previously wasted two match points at 3-5 up. It’s often a cliché that experience can win the day, but it’s a suitable way of describing this match, with Berdych winning the key points in the decider. The best evidence of this was demonstrated when he saved a break point in the twelfth game of the final set, if he had lost that, he would have found himself being forced to break to avoid defeat. Winning this point seemed to take the wind out of the youngster’s sails, and he capitalized by breaking for the fourth time in the match to advance to the quarterfinals.
Zverev served at sixty-nine percent first serve, compared to Berdych at forty-eight percent, but the Czech edged the returning stats, and won fifty-one percent of the entire points within the encounter. This statistic fully shows how matched-up the players were at times.
Goffin Next Up For The Czech
Next up for Berdych is sixth-seed David Goffin in tomorrow’s quarterfinals in Marseille. The Czech won their only other meeting at the US Open back in 2012, winning the first round clash in straight sets. The winner of this meeting will set-up a semifinal with either Nick Kyrgios or the third-seeded Richard Gasquet.
