Top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Hamburg reached the second round of the ATP grass-court tournament in Halle. The 29-year-old defeated Czech Vit Kopriva 6:3, 4:6, 6:2 on Tuesday after 2 hours and 9 minutes. It was his first match since winning the French Open in Paris.
“Grass is never easy for me,” Zverev said after the match on Centre Court. “But I won, that’s the most important thing.” The Olympic champion from Tokyo converted his first match point confidently. Earlier on the first day of the tournament, he had also won his doubles match alongside Marcelo Melo.
In the first set, Zverev secured an early break. In the second set, he failed to capitalize on his opponent’s serving weaknesses and lost the set. In the decisive third set, he earned the crucial break at 3:2 and held on to his lead to close out the match.
The round of 16 will now feature a German duel: Zverev faces Yannick Hanfmann. The 34-year-old from Karlsruhe had earlier surprisingly defeated Joao Fonseca 6:2, 6:2.
Zverev has never won the grass-court tournament in Westphalia. He reached the final twice: in 2016 he lost to Florian Mayer, and a year later he lost to Halle record champion Roger Federer. This year, the Hamburg native is aiming for his first title.
Halle serves as Zverev’s preparation for Wimbledon (June 29 to July 12). At the grass-court Grand Slam in London, he has never advanced beyond the round of 16. Last year, he lost in the first round to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.
Source: www.ndr.de
