Jun 8, 2021; Paris, France; Alexander Zverev (GER) celebrates winning his match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) on day 10 of the French Open at Stade Roland Garros.

tennis

Alexander Zverev Survives Major Scare Amid Controversy at 2025 Madrid Open to Progress Into Round of 16

German improves head to head vs Davidovich Fokina to 5-1.

Jun 8, 2021; Paris, France; Alexander Zverev (GER) celebrates winning his match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) on day 10 of the French Open at Stade Roland Garros.

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev showcased his grit and tenacity as he overcame Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 2-6 7-6(3) 7-6(0) in Round-3 of the Mutua Madrid Open. ‘Foki’ offered a tough fight on home soil, but failed to convert his chances in crucial junctures of the match. The victory ensures that Zverev’s quest for a third Madrid title continues – he will now face Francisco Cerúndolo in the Round of 16.

Zverev recently reclaimed his No. 2 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz. While the German won the championship in Munich on his home turf, Alcaraz crumbled to defeat vs Rune in the final of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The German is chasing crucial ranking points ahead of Roland Garros 2025 where he is the runner-up from last year. On the other hand, Fokina’s worries will be to earn a seeding at the clay court major.

Zverev Claws His Way to Round of 32 Win in Madrid

With the unabashed backing of a raucous crowd on Manolo Santana Stadium, Davidovich Fokina struck 6 winners in comparison to Zverev’s 2 in the opening set. He drew the errors out of the three-time Grand Slam finalist and grabbed the opener 6-2. In the second set, Sascha went down a break before inching closer towards a comeback.

Blocking out the roars and cheers against him, Zverev started throwing the counter-punch and broke right back. He also found an impeccable rhythm on serve – while he served 1 ace and 2 double faults in Set-1, Zverev blasted 6 aces and 1 double fault in Set-2. As the second set progressed into a tiebreak, it was the 6’6” top seed who dominated.

In the final set, both players went hammer and tongs to stay alive in the encounter. At 4-4, Zverev achieved a potentially decisive break of serve. However, the Spaniard ruthlessly broke back to love, and the match was to be decided by another tiebreaker. Here, experience and match fitness made the difference as Alexander Zverev edged out a three-set victory.

Zverev Penalised Over Line Calling Drama

Alexander Zverev posts a photo of a ball mark that was called ‘in’ by electronic line calling.

“Interesting call”

👀 pic.twitter.com/AQ5KXhToML
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 27, 2025

Zverev finally won the Round of 32 clash in 2 hours and 44 minutes; however, it wasn’t without any controversy. In Game-10 of the second set, the two players were engaging in an intense rally before Fokina supposedly sent a backhand wide – at least that’s what Sascha thought. When there was no call, all hell broke loose, eventually leading the 28-year-old to claim there was a “malfunction in the system.”

Although nothing was done about Zverev’s appeals, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist had his own way of pacifying himself. In a bizarre scene on Court Manolo Santana, Zverev pulled out his phone and took a photo of the mark. He was handed a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct for the same, before eventually winning the match.

25 – Only Roger Federer (26) has won more from his first 30 matches in Men's Singles at the Madrid Masters than Alexander Zverev (25). Topper. #MMOpen | @MutuaMadridOpen @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/6P8MWKKx5x
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) April 27, 2025

“I was down a set and break and I had to fight,” revealed Zverev, who is on a seven match winning streak. “I am very happy with the win. Alejandro is playing unbelievable tennis – the best of his life – so I’m happy to be through.” The German will now take to court on Tuesday for his Round of 16 battle.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Alexander Zverev

ATP

ATP Masters 1000

Barcelona Open

BMW Open

Carlos Alcaraz

Roland Garros

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.