Zverev delivered a commanding performance in sweltering heat at the Hersito Arena. He opened the match with a 212 km/h serve that Hanfmann could not return. Zverev converted the first break point of the match in the underdog’s fourth service game to go up 5:3 and took the set without trouble.
In the second set, both players held serve for a long stretch without a break. Hanfmann, who had earlier surprised Brazilian Joao Fonseca, landed many first serves and kept the match close. The set went to a tiebreak, where Zverev grabbed the decisive point on Hanfmann’s serve at 4:3 and served out the match after 80 minutes.
“I love the heat,” Zverev told the enthusiastic crowd after the match. “I’m much further along now than in my first match. I had three days on grass then, now it’s five.”
Source: www.ndr.de
