Tennis Olympic champion Alexander Zverev started the US Open with a sovereign first-round appearance. A good four weeks after his gold coup in Tokyo and one week after his tournament victory in Cincinnati, the 24-year-old from Hamburg won 6: 4, 7: 5, 6: 2 against the American Sam Querrey on Tuesday. For Zverev, the success in a rather one-sided and only moderately entertaining 1:39 hours was the twelfth victory in a row. “The match was okay, a first round against a player who is extremely dangerous on hard court. That’s why I’m satisfied with the three-set win, ”said the fourth in the world rankings in an interview with the TV channel Eurosport.
After the successes of Dominik Koepfer, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Peter Gojowczyk as well as the women Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic the day before, Zverev became the sixth German tennis professional to reach the second round at the Grand Slam tournament in New York.
The “game of patience” that his brother and manager Mischa Zverev had expected in advance was quickly resolved. Although Querrey hit powerful and aggressive as expected, the playful means of the 33-year-old from San Francisco were very limited in the first game of the day at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I particularly like the calm that Sascha exudes. He feels comfortable in his own skin without being arrogant and exudes self-confidence, ”analyzed three-time Wimbledon winner Boris Becker. The German top player is “really able to achieve great things in New York”.
At 5: 4, Zverev managed the break in the first set. In the second round it fell below the world number 78. at the score of 5: 5 the third double fault, a little later Zverev also decided the sentence for himself. In the third, Querrey lost his service game to 1: 2 and then again to 1: 4. Zverev did not miss these templates.
Querrey seemed to have come to terms with defeat. The American fans in the only sparsely filled largest tennis stadium in the world continued to support their compatriot, but in the end some also rose to applaud Zverev. Although the North German missed three match points in a 5-1 lead, he ultimately used the fourth to win on his own serve. In the fight for entry into the third round, Zverev will now meet the French Lucas Pouille or Albert Ramos-Vinolas from Spain.
One year after his dramatic five-set defeat in the final against Dominic Thiem from Austria, Zverev (“I still have the final from last year in my head”) is aiming for his first title at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in New York. Inspired by his Olympic victory and with the gold medal in his luggage, he also played against Querrey and stayed with him in the third comparison without losing a set.
Next Wednesday, the focus will be mainly on Kerber and Koepfer. While the German top player is thinking of revenge against her conqueror Angelina Kalinina in Paris, Koepfer has to deal with Daniil Medvedev. In addition to Djokovic and Zverev, the world number two from Russia expects the greatest chances of a triumph in the US metropolis.
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