Alexander Zverev beat 21 year-old Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner 6-4 6-4 6-2 after 92 minutes to reach the fourth round in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. The German Next Gen player set up a fourth round with last year’s finalist Milos Raonic, who beat Albert Ramos Vinolas 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 7-5.
Zverev, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Rome last May, was broken three times but won 50%of the points on Offner’s serve and converted on seven of his 15 break point opportunites.
Both players traded breaks in the opening two games but Zverev earned the crucial break in the ninth game to clinch the first set by 6-4.
Zverev got an early break at the start of the second set but Ofner broke back in the fourth game. Zverev got another break in the seventh game and held his serve in the following games to close out the second set.
The third set started with two consecutive breaks. Zverev got two breaks to wrap up the match.
“I feel good. I think it shows on court that I feel well. I am playing better and better every match I play. I feel quite well from the baseline, serving good, returning. Today I returned very well. I am happy with the way I am playing. I think being in the fourth round is something special. Biy I have got to look forward to the next match, try to prepare the best I can. I am playing against Milos, whom I played in Rome. Hopefuly I can take a little bit of that match, but obviously this is a completely different surface and different circumstances. I am going to be prepared as well as I can ”, said Zverev.
Ofner, who was a fan of Roger Federer when he was growing up, enjoyed a dream week in which he beat Thomaz Bellucci and Jack Sock to reach the third round in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career as a world number 217. It was a remarkable result for a player, who had never played at such a big stage before. He trained for the first time on grass only for a few hours before playing the qualifying round in Rohempton last week.
“Sure I am making lots of points and it will help me to play ATP qualifying and maybe be seeded in Challengers. The money is a lot more than double I have earned until now in my whole career. I wil save it and looking forward”, said Ofner
