In a duel with a fellow countryman, Alexander Zverev has to struggle for a long time. Especially in the second set, the Hamburg native despairs. But then he plays great
Alexander Zverev has made a successful start to his title mission at the US Open. The Hamburg native beat his compatriot Maximilian Marterer 6:2, 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 6:2 with some difficulty in an early shift on Monday and only had to push his performance limits in phases. In the second round, the Olympic champion from Tokyo will face Alexandre Muller from France or Adam Walton (Australia).
Zverev played under pressure right from the start against the Nuremberg player (number 100 in the world), with whom he had shared a double at the Olympics in Paris. The French Open finalist is not really a fan of morning matches, but on Monday the early start (11.00 a.m. local time) didn’t bother him much at first.
In hot temperatures in the US metropolis, Zverev struggled with his game in the second set, grumbled a lot – and conceded it. After that, however, the Hamburg native was unstoppable and used his first match point to win after around three hours of play. Since his main round debut in 2015, Zverev has always reached the second round at the last major of the year.
Zverev is aiming for his coveted first Grand Slam title at his 35th attempt. In New York in 2020, he was just two points away from triumph before suffering one of the bitterest defeats of his career against Dominic Thiem. After weeks of health and sporting setbacks, Zverev recently proved his rising form in Cincinnati by reaching the semi-finals.