Easy start: Alexander Zverev confidently reached the round of 16 at the ATP tournament in Vienna.
18-year-old Austrian Joel Schwärzler – marking his debut at an ATP 500 event – had no chance with the Hamburger who went 6:2, 6:2, thus setting his record of 60 wins in one set in the 2018 season on the tour.
“It was a good year with ups and downs. I’m trying to find my rhythm again and finish the year strong,” said Zverev in an interview with the winner. The 27-year-old praised his opponent highly: “He is a great player and will have a great career.”
Round of 16 against an American professional
To set a record, Zverev must beat Alex Michelsen or Marcos Giron (both USA) in the round of 16. Only world number one Jannik Sinner (Italy) who have broken the mark with 65 wins this season.
Zverev’s young opponent, who is ranked 347 in the world, gained confidence by winning the service game at the beginning of the match. But then Zverev got serious, the first set went to the Tokyo Olympic champion after a powerful and close performance in 31 minutes.
Schwärzler’s skills went through after that, but Zverev continued to run his program in a clear manner. In the end, however, it was difficult for him again for a moment. With a 5-1 lead, he lost three match points, but after a total of 1:07 hours Zverev took the next chance to win with his own serve.
2024-10-21 18:22:00
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