Zverev survives five-setter to reach Roland Garros quarters
Alexander Zverev survived a second straight five-set match at the French Open, downing Holger Rune in a last-16 tie which ended in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The German fourth seed fought back to win 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 after four hours and 11 minutes and set up a quarter-final against Alex de Minaur.
It was the second-latest finish in the tournament's history -- after Novak Djokovic's win over Lorenzo Musetti which finished at 3:07 am local time (0107 GMT) on Sunday morning -- ending at 1:40 am.
"What a match," said Zverev. "I'm lucky to be through."
He will be targeting a fourth straight Roland Garros semi-final after making the last eight for the sixth time in seven years.
Zverev is playing under the shadow of an ongoing trial in Berlin over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
He also beat Tallon Griekspoor in a deciding set, in which he trailed by a double-break at 4-1, in the third round.
"I've played a total of eight-and-a-half hours over the last three days so I need to recover," said Zverev.
"I need to do everything possible to be ready for the quarter-final match."
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