Australian Open in Melbourne
Zverev is convincing – and gives Pouille no chance
01/12/2025 – 1:57 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Alexander Zverev finally wants to achieve his first Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open. He cleared the first hurdle on the way there without any problems.
Alexander Zverev made a convincing start at the Australian Open. The 27-year-old German clearly defeated French wildcard player Lucas Pouille in Melbourne 6:4, 6:4, 6:4 and thus reached the second round. There Zverev, who is aiming for his first Grand Slam title, will meet Spaniard Pedro Martínez on Wednesday.
After reaching the semi-finals last year, Zverev once again confidently prevailed in the first round – now for the ninth time in a row at this tournament. Martínez, currently number 43 in the world rankings, benefited from the Italian Luciano Darderi’s submission in his opening game.
This time there was no sign of possible starting problems that Zverev had occasionally shown at major tournaments in the past. The biceps strain that had affected him in the United Cup around the turn of the year apparently no longer played a role.
Zverev dominated the match against Pouille, who was in the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2019. The Hamburger impressed above all with his strong serves and good mobility on the court. After just over two hours of play, he used his second match point.