Next step on the way to the hoped-for Grand Slam title: Germany’s tennis star Alexander Zverev has reached the third round of the Australian Open.
The 27-year-old beat Spaniard Pedro Martínez 6:1, 6:4, 6:1 in Melbourne and will now face Briton Jacob Fearnley on Friday. Zverev, who reached the semi-finals last year, survived the second round of the first major tournament of the year for the eighth time.
Two days off obviously felt good
Zverev seemed to have benefited from the two days off after his convincing opening win against Frenchman Lucas Pouille. The Hamburger looked in top shape and highly concentrated right from the start. He set a high pace against the clay court specialist from Spain, who was visibly overwhelmed.
Zverev impressed with his usual powerful serves and precise cross balls, and he also occasionally sprinkled sensitive stops into his game. Even in tight situations, for example when Zverev fended off four break chances in the third service game of the first set, the German did not lose his rhythm. Martinez had to invest a lot for almost every point – but did so impressively.
Attempt for a first Grand Slam title
The Hamburg native is aiming for his debut title at a Grand Slam tournament on the Yarra River in his 36th attempt. The next unseeded opponent awaits the world number two in Fearnley, who, however, also took crowd favorite Nick Kyrgios out of the tournament. Zverev would avoid the big names until the semifinals.
Zverev was able to save energy again against Martínez. He dominated the game from the start and struck in the crucial moments. After around two hours he finally converted his first match point to victory.