12:42
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 4:6, 2:1
Pouille makes his seventh double fault in the match – Zverev has only allowed himself one. The Frenchman can still rely on his good feeling during the rally and ultimately benefits from a Zverev backhand into the net.
12:38
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 4:6, 1:1
For the first time in this match, Zverev has to fend off a break ball on his own serve. He serves outside, goes after the ball and scores with his first volley. An unanswered serve to the outside closes the game.
12:34
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 4:6, 1:0
Zverev also misses the third break opportunity. Although the Hamburg player returns well, he remains too passive with his subsequent forehand and is punished for it. Pouille then chooses the route to the net again and scores with his next volley.
12:32
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 4:6, 0:0
Zverev continues to act aggressively, courageously seeks his way to the net and goes on the offensive with his return. From a compact position, the German puts a forehand cross winner in the field and thus gets two break chances again. As in many previous games, Pouille fended off both break balls, including his eighth successful volley winner.
12:26
Sentence conclusion
The early break in the first game put Zverev on the road to victory early in the second set and was never in danger after that. Pouille had problems on his forehand at times, but was also able to produce a few highlights. However, the Frenchman allowed himself four double faults with only two aces.
12:23
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 4:6
Zverev ends the second set confidently, doesn’t give up a point and finishes with an ace to make it 2-0 in the sets.
12:19
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 4:5
Zverev moves well, gets into the rallies more thanks to his precise returns and fights for a first set ball. But Pouille hasn’t given up by any means, plays the entire width of the field and fends off the tenth break ball in the match. Once again, the 30-year-old resorts to his service through the middle under pressure and saves himself over the finish line.
12:15
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 3:5
Pouille delights the audience with a formidable forehand cross winner that Zverev cannot achieve with the best will in the world. Nevertheless, Zverev exudes great calm, which is based on his good service rates in the second set. In the end, the world number two emerges from this game as the deserved winner.
12:09
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 3:4
Once again it gets pretty tight for Pouille on her own serve. The Frenchman tries to keep the rallies short, but has only mediocre success. He can thank Zverev for passing up his opportunities several times. The 30-year-old can still set one or two highlights and impresses with his formidable touch on technically demanding shots. Somehow the former Australian Open semi-finalist manages to defend his serve.
12:03
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 2:4
Zverev swings his arm easily on his own serve, finds his rhythm and serves three aces in a row. The German consistently hits over 212 km/h and is once again two games ahead.
12:00
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 2:3
Difficulties on Pouille’s forehand increasingly become apparent, as he increasingly shakes his wrist. Nevertheless, the Frenchman played his serve game to the delight of the spectators.
11:58
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 1:3
This is not the first time Pouille has resorted to a sice serve to the outside and successfully plays serve and volley. Combined with his straight service through the middle, the former top 10 player has a good arsenal at his disposal. On the other hand, Zverev continues to confirm his good feeling about the return (36 percent won over the match) and forces his opponent to go over deuce.
11:55
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 1:3
Zverev has regained his accuracy on the first serve and doesn’t let Pouille get into the return game at all. The Frenchman plays the final shot with his left hand – presumably to protect his taped right wrist. During the break you can clearly see how the 30-year-old tries to relax the muscles in his hand.
11:50
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 1:2
The number of mistakes in Pouille’s game is increasing and his backhand in particular is clearly too susceptible to unsuccessful shots. In addition, Zverev anticipates the Frenchman’s attack balls excellently and fires a forehand cross-passing shot into the intended target. Pouille was able to fend off two break balls, although he made a double fault in the meantime. After that, the Frenchman seemed surprisingly unerring, served three unanswered serves in a row and held his serve for the first time in the second set.
11:46
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 0:2
The world number two confirmed his break without any problems. Pouille varies on the return, even trying a dropped backhand, but can’t find a real answer to Zverev’s quality of service.
11:43
Pouille – Zverev 4:6, 0:1
The tapping of Zverev’s shoe soles can be clearly heard and underlines his intensive footwork and the quick steps between the hit balls. The 27-year-old caused Pouille some problems again in his service game and was given two break chances in the first return game. A good return is enough and Pouille can no longer continue the rally – break for Zverev.
11:40
Sentence conclusion
Zverev wins the first set and only needs one break. The German has so far shown no signs of pain in his arm. However, he shouldn’t underestimate Pouille. The Frenchman plays technically cleanly and has not been significantly weaker so far.
11:38
Pouille – Zverev 4:6
Zverev cannot consistently rely on his first serve in this service game, but he puts himself in position for the fourth set point with an ace. The Hamburger leaves it on his backhand with an unusual mistake. Zverev shakes himself briefly, simply fires another ace and ends the first set with a forehand winner inside-out.
11:34
Pouille – Zverev 4:5
Pouille is playful, shows his touch again and again and wins points as a result. A mix of slice and stop balls earns him the first point in Zverev’s service game. The German responds with a dominant rally in which he gradually works his way closer to the net and wins the point with a smash.
11:30
Pouille – Zverev 4:5
However, Zverev stays in the game, moves extremely quickly across the court for his size and keeps the pressure on. Pouille takes a lot of risk on his debut and second serve, hits quickly to the outside, but gets away with it and remains in the fight for the first set after a subsequent free point.
11:27
Pouille – Zverev 3:5
Zverev continues to put a lot of pressure on the Frenchman during his service game, but again misses two break chances, in which Pouille also appears extremely calm and serves with a little more incisiveness.
11:24
Pouille – Zverev 3:5
Quickly reacting, Pouille pulls his wrist up with the racket on his opponent’s first serve and surprisingly brings the ball back. The German has no answer to that. In the next rally, the Frenchman controlled the action, cleverly lured Zverev to the net and then forced him to make a mistake. However, the second in the world rankings plays back sensationally from 0:30 and turns the game in his favor.
11:18
Pouille – Zverev 3:4
Pouille can rehabilitate himself after losing his last service game and experiences a much calmer service game. Zverev is aggressive during the rally and tries to take the initiative, which can initially be seen as a positive sign.
11:15
Pouille – Zverev 2:4
Zverev confirms the break and continues to show no signs of problems in his arm. His service flies incredibly hard to the other side, combined with a precision that staves off any difficulties.
11:10
Pouille – Zverev 2:3
Zverev attacks a loose backhand slice from the Frenchman and pulls a clean forehand winner diagonally over the net. Pouille countered in the next rally by winning a point at the net, but then immediately fell behind again and had two break balls against him for the second time in a row. In this service game, the 30-year-old cannot show the necessary confidence in his serve and gives up his service for the first time in this match.
11:06
Pouille – Zverev 2:2
Zverev pulls through his second service game in no time and gives Pouille no chance. The 27-year-old has hit almost every first serve so far and appears extremely focused.
11:02
Pouille – Zverev 2:1
The Hamburger misses the first two break chances. Pouille also shows with an ace to the outside that he can still handle this pressure. Finally, Zverev tries again with a long return, which, however, becomes longer and longer and finally ends up behind the baseline.
11:01
Pouille – Zverev 1:1
Zverev seems to have complete confidence in his recently injured arm and is not holding back at all. The German appears lively in his movements and wins the first two break balls in the match with a long return.
10:57
Pouille – Zverev 1:1
For the most part, Zverev played a very confident service game, served a tough ace to the outside and easily dealt with his only double fault with a subsequent ace through the middle.
10:54
Pouille – Zverev 1:0
Pouille serves in the first game and starts with a won forehand cross duel, from which Zverev wants to break out after a few shots, but his forehand longline lands well next to the sideline. The Frenchman wins the first exchange of blows without losing any points.
10:42
Difficult start
Pouille has not won a singles match at the Australian Open since 2019 and is only included in the field this year thanks to a wildcard. The Frenchman had to cope with his first setback at the start of the year when he failed to qualify in Brisbane (ATP-250).
10:25
A former top 10 player
Lucas Pouille appeared in the top 10 of the ATP world rankings in 2018 and reached the semifinals at the 2019 Australian Open. However, these glory days are long behind the Frenchman. The 30-year-old is now outside the top 100 and has been suffering from recurring injuries for years.
10:10
New year – old goal
As world number two, Alexander Zverev is one of the title favorites at the first Grand Slam of the year and is hoping for his first triumph at one of the four major tournaments. At the start of the season, the Hamburg player played two matches at the United Cup and won relatively confidently against T. Monteiro (2:0) and Zhang (2:1). The German had to miss the quarter-finals that were actually planned because of pain in his biceps tendon.
09:59
greeting
Welcome to the first round match of the Australian Open between Lucas Pouille and Alexander Zverev.