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Third seed reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last year
Third seed Alexander Zverev came through a tricky test on Monday as he began his quest for his first major title with a 7-6(3), 6-1, 7-6(1) victory against Daniel Altmaier to reach the second round at the Australian Open.

The German showed glimpses of his best tennis on Rod Laver Arena as he fired 53 winners against his countryman, but he had to be patient as he rallied from a break down in the third set to eventually advance after two hours and 38 minutes in their first ATPHead2Head meeting.

“Not much went to plan today to be honest except that I won,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “But that is how it is sometimes. It is the first round of a very long tournament and you are not always going to play your best tennis. It was a good match for me to get into the tournament and hopefully the next round will be better.”

Zverev has been in dominant form since Wimbledon last year, holding a 36-5 record in that time. The World No. 3 captured tour-level titles in Cincinnati and Vienna and also triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in the second half of the season. However, a Grand Slam trophy still eludes the 24-year-old.

The 19-time tour-level titlist, whose best result in Melbourne was a run to the semi-finals in 2020, will next face John Millman after the Australian moved past Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 52 minutes.

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In a tight first set, Zverev was made to work hard and show patience as Altmaier fended off three set points on serve at 4-5, saving the first in epic fashion as he outlasted Zverev in a lung-busting 33 shot rally. However, the third seed’s pressure told in the tie-break as he raised his level, sealing the set with a forehand winner that was set up by a deep backhand return.

Zverev then strengthened his grip on the match at the start of the second set, breaking twice to move 4-0 ahead as he sat deep behind the baseline and soaked up Altmaier's groundstrokes. After closing out the set in 30 minutes, the 24-year-old then had a lapse of concentration as he lost serve for the first time in the match at 2-2 in the third set.

However, Zverev quickly regrouped to break back, but he was forced to a tie-break after Altmaier saved four match points on serve at 5-6. Zverev was dominant in the breaker though with his heavy groundstrokes to secure a straight-sets win.


Zverev is making his seventh appearance in Melbourne and has now reached the second round six years in a row. Aged 24, Zverev is aiming to become the youngest Grand Slam men’s singles champion since a then 24-year-old Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open title in 2012.

The Tokyo Olympics singles gold medalist is also bidding to become the fifth German man to win a major trophy and the first since Boris Becker triumphed in Melbourne in 1996. Zverev's best result at a slam came at the US Open in 2020, when he reached the final (l. to Thiem).

German next faces Albot
Alexander Zverev showed his rivals he means business at the Australian Open as he produced an efficient performance Wednesday, downing Australian John Millman 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the third round in Melbourne.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion was strong on serve throughout his one-hour, 59-minute victory, firing 14 aces and winning 85 per cent (47/55) of points behind his first delievery against a resilient Millman, who was backed by a vocal crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

“Sport needs atmosphere and the people,” Zverev said when asked about the crowd on Rod Laver Arena. “It doesn’t matter if you are for me or against me, I enjoy the atmosphere and I enjoy being on court in front of all of you guys. I think spectators bring the emotions, and sport without spectators is like sport without emotions, so I think it is incredible to play in front of everybody.”

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The German, who has yet to drop a set in Melbourne, found his range as the match went on, committing seven unforced errors in the third set compared to 15 in the opener. Zverev will next face Radu Albot after the World No. 124 downed Australian wild card Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-4.

With his victory, the World No. 3 has extended his perfect 9-0 record against players at their home Grand Slams. The 19-time tour-level champion defeated Australian Alex Bolt in the third round in Melbourne in 2019.

Zverev now leads Millman 3-0 in their ATPHead2Head series and has advanced to the third round six years in a row. The 24-year-old’s best result at the first major of the year came in 2020 when he reached the semi-finals.

“My tactic today was to hit the ball as hard as possible,” Zverev added. “Hopefully I can hit it even harder in the next match and then the next match and then even harder against Rafa!”


In a lively start, three breaks were exchanged, with two going Zverev’s way. The German’s timing was slightly off in the opening set from the baseline as he committed 15 unforced errors to 14 winners. However, he kept Millman at bay to move ahead after 47 minutes.

The German was then made to work hard in the second set, saving two break points at 3-2, 15/40, with two big first serves to hold. Millman won one more point (27-26) than Zverev in the set, but the World No. 3 was the better player in the pressure moments as he seized further control.

Zverev produced his best tennis of the match in the third set, dictating from the baseline as he crushed forehands and hammered backhands to outmanoeuvre Millman and advance.

Millman was making his eighth appearance on home soil in Melbourne but could not find the victory that the Aussie crowd craved as he tried to reach the third round for the third time.

German bidding to win first major in Melbourne
The Alexander Zverev juggernaut continued at pace as he defeated a spirited qualifier Radu Albot 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the Australian Open third round on Friday.

The pair’s only previous meeting was a Zverev victory in a five-set first-round epic at the 2019 US Open, but the World No. 3 used his biggest weapons to good effect to ensure there was no repeat of that marathon. The German hit 16 aces and won 83 per cent (57/69) of points behind his first serve to brush past the World No. 124 in one hour and 57 minutes on John Cain Arena, a venue he has grown fond of.

“It’s amazing, this is probably my favourite court [in Melbourne], because I’ve never lost a match here and I hope it continues this way,” Zverev said. “The support has been incredible, it’s really fun to play in front of all you guys again, and hopefully it will be another good four matches for me.”

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Zverev had flown through the opening two rounds in Melbourne, beating both Daniel Altmaier and John Millman in straight sets, and he picked up where he left off by breaking Albot in the second game to race into a 3-0 lead. The thirty-two-year-old Moldovan settled into the match from then on, but it was already too late to save the first set as Zverev dropped just one point behind his first serve to take it 6-3.

Any minor loss of focus from Zverev was immediately rectified, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion saving all five break points he faced. Albot had equalled his best Grand Slam performance by reaching the third round with opening wins over Yoshihito Nishioka and Aleksandar Vukic, but he was given little room for manoeuvre at big moments as the third seed ended with 44 winners to Albot’s 14.

Zverev showed some frustration when he was unable to break from 15-40 at 3-3 in the third, but he had another chance in Albot’s next service game and he made no mistake before serving out for victory.


“He’s obviously playing well, feeling the ball well, so I’m happy to be through in three sets,” Zverev added. “Of course, I had my struggles on the court today, I didn’t feel perfect, but who is perfect? At the end of the day, I won and I’m happy about that.”

The German’s fourth-round match will be a first Grand Slam meeting with 14th seed Denis Shapovalov, who beat American Reilly Opelka 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier on Friday. Zverev leads the Canadian 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head series but is well-aware of the threat the 22-year-old poses.

“He’s playing well,” said Zverev. “I think his match today was a very high level. We’re both going to be happy to be in the second week. Hopefully I can win of course, but it’s going to be a great match.”