Rome (AP) – Alexander Zverev is in the quarterfinals of the ATP tournament in Rome.
The tennis Olympic champion prevailed against Alex de Minaur from Australia 6: 3, 7: 6 (7: 5). In the clay court masters, which is worth a good six million euros, the Hamburger now meets Cristian Garin from Chile. “That was a pretty good level for me,” summed up Zverev.
The third in the world rankings, who is second in the Italian capital, started the match against number 22 in the world with concentration. In the second set, the encounter was more balanced, Zverev conceded two breaks and also gave up the serve to make it 7: 5 and win the match. In the tie-break, however, he kept his nerve and secured victory after 1:49 hours.
“I still have to work on my serve and stay aggressive,” said the gold medalist at the 2021 Summer Games. Basically, however, he saw an improvement compared to the previous round, when the 25-year-old started the tournament by beating Sebastien Baez. “It was much better than yesterday. Of course there were still mistakes, but that happens and is normal.”
For Zverev, the Masters in Rome, which he won in 2017, is the last tournament before the French Open in Paris in a week and a half. He was the only German starter in the men’s main draw in Italy.