Alexander Zverev is slowly but surely rediscovering his top tennis as he put together another solid performance at the 2024 Italian Open in Rome.
The German is generally an underrated clay player because he's been so good on hard courts. Clay is actually a great surface for him and the way he plays, and he grew up on it, so he's quite familiar with it.
An argument could be made that he had a decent chance to win the Roland Garros a few years before he injured his ankle against Rafael Nadal in the semi-final.
This year's clay season has been a bit up and down so far for him, with not the best performances, but it's looking miles better in Rome. He faced Nuno Borges in the fourth round, a player who himself has had a great rise in the past year.
The opening set was really not that complicated for Zverev, who needed a little over 30 minutes to win it 6-2. He completely outplayed his opponent in that set, both outhitting him from the baseline and outserving him.
The second serve was problematic for both, but generally, the former world no. 2 did enough to win it comfortably. The second set wasn't any worse for Zverev, but his opponent stepped up considerably.
Borges played better, starting with the serve but also from the baseline. He didn't miss nearly as much and was more focused on the big points. The third seed did fairly well on his serve, saving the only break point he faced while dominating on his first serve.
It just took him a while to find cracks in the armor of Borges, who looked quite unbothered in most service games. The match concluded with a late push by Zverev, who broke at 5-5 for a 6-5 lead.
Then he held his serve to win the second set and the match, 7-5. Overall, it was a solid win for Zverev, who totaled 9 aces and 23 winners in the 6-2, 7-5 win.