South Africa’s leading men’s singles player Lloyd Harris is set for a tough first round at the French Open to be played at Roland Garros.
The 26-year-old Harris couldn’t have asked for a tougher opponent than the reigning Olympic champion, Alexander Zverev.
Zverev is seeded 22nd for the clay-court Grand Slam as he continues to make his return from an ankle injury, he sustained in the semi-finals against Rafael Nadal last year.
For the past two years the big-serving German reached the semi-finals in Paris.
Harris and Zverev have faced each other three times in the past with the latter winning on all three occasions. Their most recent meeting was during the quarter-finals of the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York with Zverev winning that game 7-6, 6-3 and 6-4.
Harris himself is making his comeback from a lower-back issue that led to him tumbling down the ATP rankings.
This first round game at Roland Garros is scheduled for Sunday.
Morgan Piek
