22:02
Carballés Baena 1-0 Zverev
In the following rally, the German defends himself well, gets a decent volley stop from his opponent and safely pushes the ball into the corner to make it 40:30. But the next point goes to the local heroes, who grabs the first game.
22:01
Carballés Baena – Zverev 0-0
Zverev scored the first point, but then made two avoidable mistakes and brought the Spaniard into the match. Another forehand mistake by the German brings Carballés Baena the first game balls.
21:57
Carballés Baena – Zverev 0-0
Here we go! Sascha Zverev had luck on his side when choosing the place and decided to set back. Roberto Carballé’s Baena served!
21:51
It’s about to start!
The two protagonists have just entered the court in the Manolo Santana Stadium and started hitting the ball. In a few minutes it starts with this opening match between Sascha Zverev and Roberto Carballés Baena!
21:43
First duel
So far, the two have never played against each other on the tour. Even if Roberto Carballés Baena is in good shape and is best on sand, Sascha Zverev is the favorite in the match. The fast conditions in hot Madrid suit the German and if he can establish his own powerful game and rely on his serve, Zverev should have good cards here.
21:36
Carballés Baena in a good mood lately
Zverev’s opponent Roberto Carballés Baena recently had a lot to celebrate. At the 250 clay court tournament in Marrakech, the 30-year-old won an ATP tournament for the second time five years after his triumph in Quito. The Spaniard also cracked the top 50 in the world rankings for the first time, and is now ranked 53rd. Last week in Munich, however, he too had to give up early after a defeat at the start against the American Marcos Giron. Here in Madrid he started again with a commanding two-set win against former top ten player David Goffin from Belgium.
21:28
Madrid a good patch
“Some weeks I feel so close. Then there are weeks like in Miami and Munich and you feel like you’re so far away,” Zverev had to admit himself. In Madrid he finally wants to get back on the road to success. “For me it usually means the start of my good clay court season,” said the 26-year-old. And his hopes are no accident. After all, Zverev has won the Masters twice in the Spanish capital.
21:20
How is Zverev’s form?
Sascha Zverev is still looking for consistency on his way back to the top of the world. When he reached the semi-finals in Dubai and also at the Masters events in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, where he narrowly failed in the round of 16 to Daniil Medvedev, the Hamburg player showed improving form, which at times was reminiscent of the time before the serious injury. However, the crashing first-round bankruptcies in Miami and most recently in Munich showed that Zverev is far from where he was and wants to be back.
21:14
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the next game of the ATP Masters in Madrid! After a bye in round one, Alexander Zverev faces the Spaniard Roberto Carballés Baena in his opening match.