Alexander Zverev showed no signs of any injury problems as he eased past Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-4 6-1 6-4 to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
The German entered the first slam of the year with hamstring and ankle problems but was comfortable in his straight sets win over the former Brit.
After being broken in the first set, Zverev established control and sealed a very good win to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
His next opponent will either be Jeremy Chardy or Ugo Humbert as he aims to reach new heights at grand slam level in Melbourne.
Despite the fairly easy scoreline, Zverev got off to a sluggish start as he conceded the first break of the match as the Slovenian took a 4-3 lead.
The ATP Finals champion needed to step into another gear to break down a solid Bedene and he did exactly that winning three games in a row to seal the opening set.
It was a more aggressive display from the 21 year old who used his backhand to overpower the world number 67, who offered nothing in terms of controlling the match.
After racing into a 5-0 lead, the world number four eventually conceded a game before serving out a two sets to love lead.
The third set was a little more tricky for Zverev as the duo shared breaks in the third and fourth game with the higher ranked player becoming frustrated at the situation.
However the German produced some inspired tennis in the seventh game and eventually converted his second match point to seal a comfortable first round win.
Although he was only playing Bedene it was a very good win for Zverev, who usually doesn’t make life easy for himself in the early rounds.
After the match Zverev was relieved as he had a light-hearted interview with Jim Courier, “I was a little bit sloppy and it was a wake up call so I was happy to get through it.”
'My body is close to perfection right now!'
Zverev = 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/D2NMhkisby
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) January 15, 2019
In the next round Zverev will play the winner of the all-French clash between Jeremy Chardy and Ugo Humbert.
Chung Survives Klahn Test
Meanwhile last year’s semi-finalist Hyeon Chung survived a major test as he edged out Bradley Klahn in five sets to advance to the second round.
The South Korean recovered from losing the opening two tiebreaks as he won 6-7(5) 6-7(5) 6-3 6-2 6-4 to make the next round at the Australian Open. He will know play Pierre-Hughes Herbert who overcame Sam Querrey in four sets.
There were also wins on the men’s side for Daniil Medvedev, Borna Coric and Pablo Carreno Busta as it was another hot day in Melbourne Park.
