After his exit from the US Open and defeats at the Laver Cup, Zverev gets off to a successful start in Beijing. Only when he is about to win the match does Germany’s best tennis pro falter on his serve.
Alexander Zverev has secured his first victory at the ATP tournament in Beijing after his surprisingly early exit from the US Open. Germany’s top tennis pro won his opening match 6-4, 6-3 against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego to advance to the round of 16. There, the world number three from Hamburg will face France’s Corentin Moutet.
At the Laver Cup in San Francisco last weekend, Zverev failed to win either of his two singles matches as Team Europe lost to Team World. Returning to the ATP Tour, he now made a strong start against Sonego, ranked 44th in the world, and made efficient use of his break opportunities.
Zverev serves for victory – and falters for the first time
He took the Italian’s serve for the first time to win the first set. After a net attack by the German favorite, a ball hit by Sonego through his legs flew out of bounds. In the second set, Zverev increasingly dominated after another break to make it 3-1.
However, he missed out on a more decisive victory when he lost his serve for the first time at 5-1 and allowed his opponent to close the gap. After 90 minutes, however, Zverev prevailed for the sixth time in his sixth duel with Sonego.
At the US Open in New York at the end of August, Zverev was surprisingly eliminated in the third round by Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Back pain had already been an issue for him in the weeks leading up to the Grand Slam tournament. Against Sonego, he grabbed his back but did not let it stop him.