By Alberto Amalfi | Tuesday, May 30, 2017

 

Fernando Verdasco scored his first career Top 10 win at Roland Garros, beating Rome champion Alexander Zverev in four sets.

Photo credit: Roland Garros

Conversing near the net last night, Fernando Verdaso and Alexander Zverev successfully lobbied the tournament referee to suspend their first-round clash due to fading light last night.

Verdasco pulled the plug on Zverev today.

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Contesting his 56th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, Verdasco toppled the ninth-seeded Zverev, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, reaching the Roland Garros second round for the 12th straight year.

The match began yesterday with the pair splitting sets before both agreed to halt the match while light still remained.

That decision benefitted the 33-year-old Verdasco, who fell to Zverev, 7-5, 6-3, in Madrid earlier this month.

It was Verdasco’s first career victory over a Top 10 opponent at Roland Garros and his first major Top 10 win since he stunned compatriot Rafael Nadal in the 2016 Australian Open first round.

The 20-year-old Zverev did not face a break point conquering reigning Roland Garros champion Novak Djokovic in the Rome final to capture his first career Masters Series championship earlier this month and crack the Top 10 for the first time.

When play resumed today, Zverev broke for 2-1 then confirmed the break.

Firing his forehand with ambition, Verdasco reeled off five of the next six games. Targeting the German’s forehand wing, Zverev broke in the 10th game to snatch the third set.

The 37th-ranked Spaniard's conviction and commitment to running around his backhand and lash his twisting topspin forehand into the corners grew as the fourth set progressed.  

Ultimately, Zverev was his own worst enemy. The lanky former junior world No. 1 committed 50 unforced errors and cracked his racquet in frustration during the fourth set.

A double fault preceded three unforced errors as Zverev played a horrid game dropping serve to trail 0-2 in the fourth set.  

An aggressive Verdasco broke again in the eighth game to close a two hour, 52-minute conquest spread over two days against an opponent 13 years his junior.

Verdasco will play Frenchman Pierre Hugues-Herbert in round two.