Fourth seed Alexander Zverev has advanced through to the second round of the Australian Open after a battling 6-1, 7-6, 7-5 win over Thomas Fabbiano of Italy on Tuesday.
World No. 4 Zverev, one of the big favorites for the title in Melbourne behind defending champion Roger Federer, looked in scintillating form from the outset as he wasted little time in claiming the opening set with a dominant 6-1 score-line. The 20-year-old German was dictating play from the back of the court with his all powerful backhand and booming serves out wide, never allowing his opponent a sniff initially in the contest.
However, the Italian gained some confidence and momentum with his performance at the beginning of the second set. As Fabbiano managed to find a way to hang on to his serve and started to challenge Zverev on his serve, the set turned out to be a real war of attrition for the man from Germany.
With both players not giving even an inch to the other, the set went to a tiebreaker. In the tiebreak, Zverev held his nerve when it mattered as he eventually outclassed his challenger seven points to five.
Both players continued from where they left off in the third set as it wasn’t until the 12th game that Zverev found an opening to break Fabbiano’s serve to wrap up a difficult but a much needed victory in two hours and 22 minutes. The biggest factors behind his win were the 47 winners he struck, the 17 aces he served and the five service breaks he achieved in the match.
“I think I picked up my energy a little bit and was a little more intense on my returns,” Zverev said on court after his triumph in round one of the tournament.
He will square-off against compatriot Peter Gojowczyk in the next round. Gojowczyk dismantled Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in straight sets earlier in the day.
