Alexander Zverev survives four match points to reach Vienna Open second round

Alexander Zverev fought off four match points before securing a difficult 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (13/11) victory over Spanish qualifier Martín Landaluce in the opening round of the Erste Bank Open, Eurosport reported. Playing in front of 9,800 spectators at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, the top-seeded German needed two hours and 43 minutes to avoid an opening-round exit on the hard courts of the ATP 500 tournament.

Aggressive Challenge from Landaluce Tests the Top Seed

Landaluce entered the tournament with a wildcard and showed no early intimidation in his first career meeting against Zverev, according to reporting by sport.ORF.at. The young Spaniard pressed the rallies with aggressive shot-making throughout the baseline exchanges. After dropping a tight opening set, Zverev’s rhythm broke down completely as he leaked unforced errors and fell behind 0-3 in the second set, ultimately surrendering the frame to level the match.

High-Drama Tiebreak Decides the Decisive Set

The tension peaked during a grueling third set where Landaluce erased two match points while returning at 5-6 to force a tiebreak, sport.ORF.at noted. The qualifier surged ahead to a 5-2 lead in the breaker before a fortunate net-roller off Zverev’s racquet helped the German claw back to 5-5. Zverev then squandered four of his own match points at 6-5, 8-7, 9-8, and 10-9, while Landaluce missed additional chances before Zverev finally converted his fifth match point of the tiebreak to close out the 13/11 thriller.

Alexander Zverev vs Martin Landaluce Highlights | Vienna 2026 Round 1

Parallel Struggles for Carlos Alcaraz in Vienna

Second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz experienced similar early turbulence in his opening match in Vienna against Karen Khachanov, as detailed by sport.ORF.at. The Spanish star dropped his serve early in the first set to fall behind 2-3 before immediately breaking back and accelerating to take the opening frame 6-4. Khachanov subsequently saved three match points while trailing 4-5 in the second set and broke Alcaraz’s serve to force another tiebreak, where Alcaraz eventually converted his fourth match point to seal a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) victory after two hours and four minutes.

Zverev Eyes Top ATP Ranking in Vienna

Zverev enters the Vienna draw knowing that reaching the tournament’s quarterfinals will elevate him to the number one spot in the ATP men’s singles rankings as of the following Monday, sport.ORF.at confirmed. The tournament features a total prize purse of 2,797,985 euros on indoor hard courts. Zverev advances to the tournament’s second round to continue his campaign in the Austrian capital.