Australian Open: Alexander Zverev fights his way through three sets - and wants to donate prize money
Alexander Zverev has reached the second round of the Australian Open with a competitive three-set result. (Here you can read it in the live ticker.)
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 21, 2020, 03:14 pm
Zverev beat Italian Marco Cecchinato with a time of 2 hours and 23 minutes 6: 4, 7: 6 (3) and 6: 3. The 22-year-old made up for a break behind in all three sets, in round two the Italian had already served to equalize the set.
Reassuring: Zverev seems to have his serve under control, making only four double mistakes in the entire match. He meets Casper Ruud or Egor Gerasimov in round 2. "It wasn't my best tennis, but it was a start. I'm happy to be in the second round," he said.
In addition, Zverev announced that he would donate 10,000 Australian dollars per match won to the victims of the Australian bushfires - and in the event of a tournament victory, his entire prize money, the equivalent of around 2.5 million euros.
In the press conference, Zverev said: "I'm not a money freak." Rather, he plays tennis because he loves sports. The roughly four million are "huge money", but he thinks that it should be used for positive things. And if he really won the Australian Open? He would be "the happiest person in the world" anyway.
At the beginning of the match, Zverev had initially gotten slightly annoyed because he had forgotten to put on his match shirt - the training shirt had an oversized inscription from the sponsor. Although the world ranking seventh quickly changed, the referee informed him that he had to report this. Zverev accepted this calmly.
Here you can read it in the live ticker.
Medvedev and Kyrgios are also further
Previously, Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios had also solved their opening tasks. Tournament co-favorite Medvedev beat the American Frances Tiafoe in an entertaining match 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 4 and 6: 2 and now meets the Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez, the Dominik Koepfer 6: 3, 6 : 4 and 7: 5 defeated. Tiafoe, quarter finalist in Melbourne last year, loses points due to his early retirement and will only find himself 80th in the ATP ranking after the tournament.
Nick Kyrgios won 6-2, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (1) against Lorenzo Sonego and meets Pablo Cuevas or Gilles Simon in the second round.
Successful from a German perspective: Peter Gojowczyk, who won 7: 6 (1), 6: 3, 4: 6 and 6: 0 against Christopher Eubanks. Next opponent: the 27-placed Pablo Carreno Busta from Spain.
Dr. Ivo is on
Also further on is Ivo Karlovic: The tennis oldie - Karlovic turns 41 in February - beat Vasek Pospisil 7: 6 (4), 6: 4 and 7: 5. "Dr. Ivo" now meets Gael Monfils, who surely beat Yen-Hsun Lu in three sets.
Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka had previously won their opening match.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will play their second round matches on Wednesday. Djokovic meets Japanese Tatsuma Ito in the third match of the day, Federer plays the second match of the night session (start: 9 a.m.) against Filip Krajinovic.
To the men's individual tableau
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