Zverev v Mensik LIVE: French Open latest scores, order of play and updates ahead of first men’s semi-final – UK Times

Some of the fight looks to have gone out of Mensik now. Zverev redirects him nicely with the combo of a serve out wide and forehand into the opposite corner, does it again, and that brings up set point.

Mensik drags one back with another brilliant backhand winner down the line, but Zverev has two more set points.

An ace seals the set. The German has just been too solid.

Mensik double faults twice in his next service game and now Zverev has a first break point as he pummels a forehand beyond the Czech’s reach.

Now Mensik goes for the drop volley but Zverev gets there, and the Czech nets the reply. The second seed will serve for the set.

Mensik plays a tidy cross-court backhand which lands just on the tramline, and Zverev can’t get his volley over the net. 15-15.

But some fierce serving completes an easy hold.

Mensik looks a bit more sparky now and is going for his shots a bit more. Zverev thumps a forehand long for 40-0 and does the same on a second serve return, and that’s a nice, easy hold for the Czech.

A Mensik cross-court forehand, at full stretch, fizzes long, and Zverev escapes.

Mensik earns another break point, a cross-court backhand lasered into the far corner, and Zverev’s reply drops long!

A baby crying disrupts the German as he prepares to serve. He makes the second… Mensik overhits. Deuce again.

Zverev thunders down a 206km/h ace out wide. But Mensik does well to push him off balance, and chants of “Jakub, Jakub” erupt as the 20-year-old gets to 15-30 after forcing the error.

Now Zverev goes for the drop shot but back comes a superb backhand down the line, arcing inwards and right into the corner, and Mensik has two break points!

The first is saved with an unreturnable serve. The second as a Mensik backhand, from right at the back of the court, just drops short. Deuce.

Mensik goes for the backhand slice drop shot again, to great effect, and there’s a smattering of “Come on Jakub” around Chatrier. Plenty of support for both players.

Mensik fires a massive serve out wide before Zverev fires wildly long again on the forehand – wasting a look-in on second serve – and that’s the Czech’s first hold without being taken to deuce.

Zverev gets off the mark with a venomous first serve but the spanks another forehand looping up and out of play – he’s having some difficulty on that side.

There’s some frustration apparent from Mensik as he backhands into the net; he hasn’t been able to make real inroads on the Zverev serve just yet. The German holds.

Zverev goes 0-30 up as the Czech double faults before Mensik applies the drop shot again, to great effect as the ball dies away.

He comes out on top in a long baseline exchange, the German slamming into the net, but Zverev continues to ramp up the pressure and for the third service game in a row Mensik is taken to deuce.

The second seed thumps a backhand into the net and then can’t keep a fine Mensik backhand down the line in play, and that wraps a hold. No break points faced yet.