That was close. After a tough fight, Alexander Zverev was the first German professional to reach the second round at the Australian Open.
On his comeback at Grand Slam level after a long injury break, the former number two in the world had a lot more trouble than he would have liked with the Peruvian lucky loser Juan Pablo Varillas (No. 103 in the world). After five hard-fought sets and a playing time of more than four hours, it was 4: 6, 6: 1, 5: 7, 7: 6, 6: 4 for the Hamburger.
For his opponent, the already 27-year-old Varillas, it was only the second Grand Slam participation of his career after the French Open 2022. This time he only slipped into the main draw as a lucky loser. He had lost the final of the qualifying tournament and thus actually missed the main draw in Melbourne.
Zverev after the match at Eurosport: “I’m very happy that I won the match. It was somehow clear that I would play five sets and not win in three. But I was surprised by my opponent. He played incredibly.” And further: “If you don’t have the match practice, then it’s a little more difficult in important moments.”
For Zverev it was the first appearance in a Grand Slam tournament since the French Open in early June 2022. At that time he suffered a serious ankle injury in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal and was out for months.
In terms of injury, the 25-year-old was able to give the all-clear: “My foot is healthy, it was different before Sydney (tournament at the beginning of the year, ed.), I didn’t move that freely.”
What still worries him with regard to the rest of the tournament: “In terms of fitness, I’m not where I was yet. I have to see that I can get my body under control again.”
Zverev the only German in round two
Now Zverev is the last remaining German in the men’s field. Because Davis Cup colleague Jan-Lennard Struff (1: 6, 6: 7, 2: 6 against Tommy Paul) said goodbye on Tuesday morning, just like Yannik Hanfmann, Daniel Altmaier and Oscar Otte the day before.
In the women’s category, none of the three DTB players who have started so far have made it into round two. Laura Siegemund and Tatjana Maria still have the chance to improve the German balance sheet on Tuesday.
Qualifier Laurent Lokoli (No. 175 in the world) from France, who had prevailed against the American Michael Mmoh, is now waiting for Zverev in the second round.
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