2024-08-26 18:54:09
In the duel with a fellow countryman, Alexander Zverev had to struggle for a long time. The Hamburg player was particularly desperate in the second set. But then he played brilliantly.
Alexander Zverev has made a successful start to his title mission at the US Open. The Hamburg native beat fellow countryman Maximilian Marterer 6:2, 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 6:2 in an early shift on Monday, only having to push himself to the limit at times. In the second round, the Tokyo Olympic champion will face Alexandre Muller from France or Adam Walton (Australia).
Zverev played with a lot of pressure from the start against the Nuremberg player (number 100 in the world), with whom he had shared a double room at the Olympics in Paris. The French Open finalist is not really a fan of matches in the morning, but on Monday the early start of the match (11 a.m. local time) did not bother him much.
In the hot temperatures in the US metropolis, Zverev struggled with his game in the second set, complained a lot – and lost the set. After that, the Hamburg native was unstoppable and used his first match point to win after around three hours of play. Since his main draw debut in 2015, Zverev has always reached the second round of the last major of the year.
In his 35th attempt, Zverev is aiming for his long-awaited first Grand Slam title. In New York in 2020, he was only two points away from victory before suffering one of the bitterest defeats of his career against Dominic Thiem. In Cincinnati, after weeks of health and sporting setbacks, Zverev recently showed his improving form by reaching the semifinals.