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German next plays Bautista Agut
Alexander Zverev made a winning start to his clay-court season Tuesday when he overcame Alexander Bublik 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The German was competing on the surface for the first time since he retired from his 2022 Roland Garros semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal due to a right ankle injury and he recovered from a slow start to move past Bublik in one hour and 58 minutes.

The 13th seed moved better on Court Rainier III as the first-round match went on. He slide into shots to strike 21 winners, while he committed nine unforced errors to earn his ninth win of the season.

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“It felt awful at times to be honest, but he made me feel awful,” Zverev said. “Tactically he played well, he didn’t let me play my game at all. He didn’t let me have my rhythm and he almost won the match, just a few points here and there.

"I have had two weeks of practise now. It is the most natural surface for me. It usually takes me five or 10 minutes to get used to a clay court, but this year was a bit different. I needed to get the injury out of my head. I needed to get used to sliding again.”

Zverev, who has improved to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Bublik, will next play Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

The 25-year-old is a two-time semi-finalist in Monte-Carlo, having enjoyed runs to the last four in 2018 and 2022. Six of Zverev’s 19 tour-level titles have come on clay, including at ATP Masters 1000 events in Rome (2017) and Madrid (2018, 22).