Griekspoor stuns World No. 3 Zverev in Montreal
Montreal, Aug 6 (IANS) Tallon Griekspoor recorded the biggest win of his season at the Canadian Open as he stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 to earn his third Top-5 victory.
The Dutchman arrived in Canada having triumphed in just one of his past eight tour-level matches. However, the former World No. 21, currently at No. 69 in the ATP Rankings, has rediscovered his best level at the ATP Masters 1000 event to reach the third round.
Griekspoor becomes the first men’s player to beat the No. 1 seed in the Canadian Open opener since Nick Kyrgios defeated Daniil Medvedev in 2022. Griekspoor, despite possessing a 2-9 record against Zverev, has played him very tough in recent years.
They split marathon outings in 2025 and Griekspoor let slip a double break lead in the fifth set at the 2024 French Open. With his potent serve, he can be difficult to break — and that was the case Wednesday.
Griekspoor, ranked no. 69, down from his career high of no. 21 in 2023, did well to regroup in the match. He had a set point before the first set tiebreaker but went passive in the rally, missing a backhand.
Griekspoor continued to thrive and broke for 3-2 in the third frame by smashing an inside-out forehand to end a long rally. Down 2-4, 0-30, Zverev found a way to hold to realistically keep his chances alive. He duly faced his first break point in the next game and lost serve when Zverev crushed a backhand down the line. But he broke back and sealed proceedings by delivering a forehand down the line.
His forehand produced 20 winners and Griekspoor went 17-for-18 at the net. He will next face Matteo Arnaldi or Fabian Marozsan.
Six of the Top-10 seeds are already out in Montreal. Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev all lost their opening matches, while Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.
The draw has now opened opportunities for #NextGenATP stars Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca.
–IANS
bc/
