Struggling Performances by Zverev Persist on Neglected Court Surface
Grass Court Showdown in Halle/Westfalen: Troubles for Zverev
The tennis ace Alexander Zverev, Olympic gold medalist, scraped through to the round of 16 in the grass court tournament of Westphalia with a narrow win against Oscar Otte, a tennis player from Cologne. In his initial match, Zverev dropped the first set 7-6 (5-7) but eventually clinched the victory following a tussle lasting 2 hours and 17 minutes, on his first match point.
Post-match, Zverev applauded his German counterpart, saying: "Otter gave me a tough time, but as the game went on, my play improved. I'm delighted with the win because chances on grass need to be seized, but I'm aiming for better play in the next round."
Zverev faced another challenge on the following Wednesday, as he's scheduled to face Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the evening. Previously, Jan-Lennard Struff and Dominik Koepfer too had featured in the ATP 500 tournament.
Following his disappointing loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris final nine days ago, Zverev had a difficult transition from clay to his least favorite turf. Numerous unforced errors marred his game, and the roofed OWL Arena didn't offer him the ideal conditions under the heavy rain. His first serve was his saving grace, firing 17 aces in the first set, helping him through the tiebreak. However, Otte capitalized on his second set point there after 50 minutes.
Before the game, Zverev voiced, "Paris is no longer of interest to me." He continued, "I have a job to do and goals for this year. I won't achieve them if I keep ruminating about Paris for weeks." The focus is now on Wimbledon, which starts on July 1. Zverev needs to greatly enhance his play before then. However, against Otte, who reached the semifinals in Halle this year, Zverev's improved play was just enough to clinch the second set.
Otte didn't put up much of a fight in the decisive third set and offered break chances. Zverev turned the tense situation around and secured the deciding break at 4-3.
Top contender Jannik Sinner also encountered difficulties in the tournament. The 22-year-old Italian lost his opening match against Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands, but he managed to win eventually with a scoreline of 6-7 (8-10), 6-3, 6-2. Sinner sealed the deal on his first match point after 2 hours and 22 minutes. He will now face Fabian Marozsan from Hungary.
