Alexander Zverev edged past Kevin Anderson 7-6(2) 5-7 6-3 7-5 in a tricky first round at the US Open.
The German made it six wins in a row against the South African as he kept his cool to reach the US Open second round.
Conditions favoured Zverev as he remained emotionally calm in handling the unique occasion against a tough opponent.
Next for Zverev is Brandon Nakashima on Wednesday.
As expected the match started with both men serving well and hitting big with points being determined by who can get the early strike in.
For Zverev it was about defending well behind the baseline and using his backhand to swing the momentum of the point. As for Anderson, he was looking to take his forehand early and stepping inside the baseline to create angles and hit winners.
In this mini-battle it was Zverev who was winning this battle as he broke in the fifth game with a driven backhand through the middle.
Despite the German’s power, his inconsistency is his downfall and some unforced errors allowed the South African back into the match as he was pegged back to 5-5.
However Zverev remained focused and dominated the tiebreak to take a one set lead in 54 minutes.
There were many similar patterns in both players’ games in the second set as Zverev’s first serve continued to cause problems for Anderson.
It was more the second serve that was the issue for the Australian Open semi-finalist and this is the area where the South African pounced.
A continuation of aggression from the 2017 finalist saw Zverev buckle eventually as he took the only break point of the set in the eleventh game and served out the set to level the match.
The German knew that if he wanted to win this tricky first round match then he would have to raise his level and take more risks.
That is exactly what the German did as a gutsy backhand net volley secured a crucial break in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead.
Some effortless serving and simplifying his shot selection meant that Zverev became more consistent as he closed out the third set 6-3.
In the fourth set, both players remained consistent with their power and aggression as they refused to give chances away.
However Anderson’s over-aggression towards the end of the set cost him the match as a few unforced errors conceded the break.
As a result an emotionally controlled Zverev served out an impressive four set win to book his place in the second round.
Next up for Zverev is Brandon Nakashima, who defeated Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets.
There were also straightforward wins for Stefanos Tsitsipas and Borna Coric over Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pablo Andujar, in the first day of a truly unique US Open.
