Alexander Zverev needed 95 minutes for his 18th tournament victory
Source: dpa / Lisa Leutner
Alexander Zverev gets his next tournament victory. In Vienna, the man from Hamburg wrestles the giant fighter Frances Tiafoe. Now only one German tennis icon has won more men’s tournaments than Zverev.
GStrengthened by Wiener Schnitzel and inspired by his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, Alexander Zverev celebrated his fifth tournament victory this year. The Olympic tennis champion decided the final in the Wiener Stadthalle against the American Frances Tiafoe 7: 5, 6: 4 for himself. “That’s great, especially since I didn’t start the week so well,” said Zverev.
The 24-year-old from Hamburg needed 95 minutes for his 18th final triumph on the ATP tour. With that, Zverev drew level with the former Wimbledon winner Michael Stich. Only Boris Becker has won more tournaments in the history of German men’s tennis.
A kiss for the winner: Sophia Thomalla heart Zverev after the game
Source: dpa / Georg Hochmuth
The unusual schnitzel diet the evening before, which Zverev had humorously announced after his smooth semi-final success against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, seemed to be effective. “Sophia keeps telling me how can you eat so much scrap all the time and still be so thin? Yes, that’s why I move around the field for 18 hours a day, ”Zverev reported about teasing his new partner. Actress Sophia Thomalla (32) cheered her Sascha on loudly from the player’s box on Sunday and applauded standing after the victory.
Zverev can rely on his serve
Zverev got off to a good start, put Tiafoe under pressure and got the early break to 3-1. But the 23-year-old outsider countered courageously, taking the serve from the German. Tiafoe delighted the audience with his emotional and sometimes spectacular game. At Zverev, on the other hand, looseness and dominance were initially gone.
But the world number four kept his nerve. Above all, he could rely on his serve strength. Zverev could not yet use a first set ball, then he benefited from a mistake made by number 49 in the world rankings.
Zverev (r.) Thanks Frances Tiafoe
What: REUTERS
In the second round, Tiafoe’s strength slackened a little. The American had worked his way into the main field through qualification. In the semifinals he had turned an almost lost game against South Tyrolean Jannik Sinner. Also in the final Tiafoe toiled to the delight of the more than 8000 spectators, both players offered a partly top-class show.
Two more tournaments until the end of the season
“After the Corona period, I just enjoy playing in a full stadium again, something that I missed a lot. I need the energy and am also impulsive on the pitch, ”said Zverev about the atmosphere in the town hall. In the end, the man from Hamburg resolutely used his advantage in strength and class for his sixth success in the seventh comparison with Tiafoe.
It was the sixth German tournament victory in Vienna. Before that, Stich, Becker, Philipp Petzschner and twice Tommy Haas had won the event. Zverev collected a check for 275,000 euros. He has already equalized his best record of five tournament victories from 2017. In this form he will be one of the favorites again in Paris for the next few days. “There are now two more tournaments, I want to do well,” said Zverev.
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