A playful slip of the tongue and a fresh pressure-cooker atmosphere: Alexander Zverev now has a rare chance at the French Open

"I have to focus on the things I can influence, and that's my matches," the world number three from Hamburg said after his 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 victory over the local hero. "I'm playing Frenkie de Jong next; the rest doesn't matter."

The slip of the tongue, coming after three hours of hard graft on court, was probably down to the late finish. Zverev is well aware that his next opponent is not FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but Jesper de Jong—the Dutchman who took a set off him here last year.

The Dutchman, currently ranked 106th, is on an impressive run at the Bois de Boulogne. The 25-year-old lost his qualifying final but still slipped into the main draw as a lucky loser. In his opening match, De Jong defeated Swiss legend Stan Wawrinka, and in the third round he outlasted Russian Karen Khachanov—the same player who lost to Zverev in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic final—so the German will have to be at his best.

The three-time Grand Slam finalist, who is the only top-five player left in the draw, is well aware of this and is satisfied with his form. "Even though I had a bit of a dip today, I can feel that my form is there," Zverev said. "I'll do everything I can to play good tennis in the second week as well and win all my matches."

Zverev has managed his schedule with calm authority, fielding the now-frequent questions about whether, after his title rivals' exits in Paris, his moment has finally arrived.

Experts are in little doubt he can go all the way: after Sinner's dramatic exit, Boris Becker told Eurosport that the 29-year-old is the "top favourite", and Mats Wilander agreed. "Of course, he's putting himself under enormous pressure because he finally wants to win his first Grand Slam title," the three-time Paris winner noted. "But now the pressure is also coming from outside—from all of us. Everyone believes that he'll probably never win this title if he doesn't succeed this time."

Wilander added that he is convinced Zverev will break through at a Grand Slam, and the opportunity in Paris is there for the taking.

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