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Victor Petkov
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Zverev beats Rune in the morning after 5-set thriller at French Open
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The German needed almost five hours to reach his 12th Grand Slam quarter-final

Alexander Zverev defeated Holger Rune in a thrilling five-set match that ended at 01:40 am local time in Paris, advancing to the French Open quarter-finals. The fourth seed needed four hours and 40 minutes to secure a 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 victory over the Danish player.

This match was the second in three days at Roland Garros to finish in the early hours, following Novak Djokovic’s five-set win against Lorenzo Musetti, which ended at 03:07 on Sunday. Zverev will next face Alex de Minaur, who defeated fifth seed Daniil Medvedev earlier on Monday.

The match between Zverev and Rune was delayed, starting after 21:00 local time due to a preceding four-hour and 39-minute match between Djokovic and Francisco Cerundolo on Philippe Chatrier court.

Zverev, playing under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assault, which he denies, demonstrated resilience throughout the match. The German, still seeking his first Grand Slam title, has reached the semi-finals in Paris the past three years.

The match began with Rune breaking Zverev midway through the first set and saving three break points to take the set. Zverev dominated the second set with three breaks but lost the third set after a crucial volley error on set point.

In a gripping fourth set, both players exchanged breaks twice before Zverev won the tie-break. He maintained control in the final set, breaking Rune twice to secure his spot in the quarter-finals, marking his 12th Grand Slam quarter-final appearance.