Alexander Zverev beat 18-year-old Austrian Next Gen player Joel Josef Schaertzler 6-2 6-2 to reach the second round at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna . The German player did not face a break point and won 96% of his first serve points.
Zverev broke twice in the third and fifth games to win the opening set 6-2. The 2021 Vienna tournament champion went up a double break in the third and fifth games to race out to a 5-1 lead. Schaertzler saved three match points when he was serving to stay in the match. Zverev served out the win on his fourth match point in the eighth game.
“I was hoping to have a good match, but it was over half and a hour later and I won a game. I know how Schaetzler feels. It’s not easy situation to be in, but he is a wonderful player and he is going to have a wonderful career. Nobody should judge him by this match”, said Zverev.
Flavio Cobolli beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 after 1 hour and 36 minutes to reach the second round at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. Cobolli saved all three break points he faced.
Cobolli won 76% of his second serve points and hit five aces. He produced 20 winners to 42 unforced errors.
Both players went on serve in the first set. Cobolli faced three break points in the sixth game, but he saved them. Cobolli earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-1.
Davidovich Fokina saved a break point in the fourth game with a forehand. Cobolli converted his sixth break point in the sixth game with a forehand return winner and held his next service games without facing any break points to win the second set 6-3 on his first match points. Cobolli has improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head matches against Davidovich Fokina.
Cobolli will face either Alex De Minaur or Jan Lennard Struff in the second round. De Minaur is ninth in the in the ATP Live Race to Turin, 265 points behind eighth placed Andrey Rublev.
Matteo Berrettini beat Marton Fucsovics 7-5 6-4 without facing any break points. Berrettini won 86% of his first serve points.
Berrettini will face either Frances Tiafoe or Cameron Norrie. Berrettini won 14 of his 15 most recent maches against top 50 players.
Both players went on serve until the 11th game when Berrettini earned the first break to win the opening set 7-5 after forehand inside-out error from Fucsovics.
Fucsovics saved two break points to hold serve after three deuces for 3-2. Berrettini earned the decisive break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and held his serve at deuce in the next game. Berrettini served out the win on his second match point.
Berrettini is making his third appearance at the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. He reached the semifinals in 2019 and the quarter finals in 2021.
Jakub Mensik beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7-3) 6-2. Popyrin saved a set point in the 12th game of the first set. Mensik opened up a 2-0 lead with a mini-break. Popyrin pulled back on serve to draw level to 2-2. Mensik won three consecutive points to take a 5-2 lead. Popyrin pulled one of the two mini-breaks back. Mensik won the final two points to take the tie-break 7-3. Mensik earned two breaks in the first and third games and served out the win on his first match point in the eighth game.
