PARIS — Kei Nishikori rallied past the local favorite Benoît Paire on Wednesday to reach the third round of the French Open for the fourth consecutive year.
Nishikori, a 19th-seeded Japanese player, needed nearly three hours to win, 6-3, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
“He was attacking every shot,” Nishikori said. “He has one of the best touches on the tour. It was fun to play him and also a difficult match today.”
Second-seeded Alexander Zverev trailed by a set and a break — and was down a broken racket, too — before eventually collecting himself and coming back to beat 60th-ranked Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, 2-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, in the second round.