Australian Open: Zverev defies compatriot and bugs

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Alexander Zverev reached the second round of the Australian Open after a show of strength. The Hamburg native easily defeated his compatriot Dominik Koepfer 4:6, 6:3, 7:6 (7:2), 6:3 in Melbourne and must improve significantly if he wants to dream of his first Grand Slam title. In the second round, Germany’s number one will face Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein.

«In the first few laps you have to find your rhythm. I have to play better and I hope I do that from tomorrow,” Zverev said in an on-court interview: “I’m always terrible in the first round. But also respect for Dominik, he played fantastic.”

The sixth in the world rankings got off to a bad start in the hot and humid conditions at Margaret Court Arena, looked towards his box arguing and conceded the first set. Zverev improves in the second round, but Koepfer holds strong with his powerful forehand. In the third set tiebreak, Zverev needs strong nerves – in the end he does not let insects that bother him while serving stop him. After a confident fourth set, he used his third match point to win and advance to the second round on the Yarra River for the eighth time in a row.

Carlos Alcaraz is the last player to participate in the first round of the Australian Open, which was spread over three days for the first time. In his first serious fight since the Masters semi-finals in November, the Wimbledon winner and world number two needed about an hour to get going. After a first set of 74 minutes, the 20-year-old Spaniard takes on Richard Gasquet, who is 17 years older than him, and sets off with a gala with countless shots with a wow factor. The final result was 7:6 (7:5), 6:1, 6:2, which underlined Alcaraz’s status as a title contender – even though he needed five match points.

The Dane Holger Rune (20) has to fight harder than he would like in the first Grand Slam match with Swiss coach Severin Lüthi at his side. The number eight in the world and recent finalist in Brisbane needed almost three and a half hours to defeat the stubborn Japanese left-hander Yoshihito Nishioka (ATP 61) in four sets. The young star can pick up a racket in the large Rod Laver Arena. At the US Open last year, Rune publicly complained that he had been relegated to fifth place during his first-round match – and promptly lost.

As expected, number 1 Iga Swiatek has to pass a tough test in the women’s field. The Pole defeated the resurgent Sofia Kenin, winner of the Australian Open four years ago, 7:6 (7:2), 6:2. It doesn’t necessarily get easier. In the 2nd round, Swiatek meets Danielle Collins, the 2022 finalist. She wins in three sets against Angelique Kerber, the 2016 champion. Despite the defeat, the German makes a promising comeback after a pregnancy break.

Source : Blick