Down 1-4 in the third set, Alexander Zverev decided it was time to shorten his match at Roland Garros. He was determined to avoid another lengthy fight following a five-set battle in the previous round, so he applied pressure on qualifier Roman Safiullin. 

The sixth-seeded German won the next game at love, broke back by pushing his rival into unforced errors and was nearly flawless in the tiebreaker.