Alexander Zverev beat French wild card Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4 6-4 after 2 hours and 20 minutes to advance to the second round at the Australian Open for the ninth consecutive year.
Zverev broke Pouille’s serve to take a 3-2 lead in the first set and held on his serve. He sealed the first set with a cross-court forehand.
Zverev broke in the first game to win the second set 6-4. The World number 2 earned a decisive break in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead in the seventh game and closed out the match with his 16th ace.
Zverev started the 2025 season with two wins at the United Cup but he withdrew ahead of the clash between Germany and Kazakhstan. The German player hit 37 winners and saved both break points.
Zverev is aiming to become the first German player to win a Grand Slam title since Boris Becker at the Australian Open in 1996.
Zverev is in the same half as record 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. The Hamburg native player won two Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Paris Bercy in 2024 and reached his career-high of world number 2.
“Pouille is someone that when healthy, he’s somebody definitely not at the ranking that he is. He has been a great player. I wish him health, first of all, and he is going to be back to the ranking soon”, said Zverev.
