Alexander Zverev Advances to Wimbledon Third Round Despite Setback

Alexander Zverev Advances to the Third Round Despite Dropping a Set

Alexander Zverev completes his duty in the second round of the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament, a day after his opening round victory. Zverev's triumph, during which he had confrontations with the umpire and the spectators, carries a historic dimension.

Alexander Zverev has reached the third round of the All England Championships. One day after his three-set win against Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer, the Olympic champion defeated Yosuke Watanuki from Japan, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser, but not before four sets. It took the Hamburg native 2 hours and 25 minutes to secure a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over the 116th-ranked player in the world.

Alexander Zverev Advances to Wimbledon's Third Round Despite Setback

Alexander Zverev gets agitated over a line judge

On Court 2, Zverev engaged in a brief verbal exchange with the chair umpire. The line judge had reported to the umpire that Zverev had allegedly cursed out loud. Zverev expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the line judge, telling the umpire that she shouldn't consider herself more important than she actually is. These discussions distracted him for a while, leading to him losing the second set against the powerful-serving Japanese player.

However, Zverev quickly regained his composure and ultimately advanced without major difficulties. "He really surprised me with how quickly and well he served. He deserved to win the second set. I struggled to stay calm," Zverev admitted. "I'm glad I turned it around and won." In the third set, he briefly argued with a spectator but managed to regain control of the match, especially as the previously defiant and strong-serving Watanuki began to fade.

Alexander Zverev to face Matteo Berrettini in the third round

Zverev will now face Italian player Matteo Berrettini, who defeated the 15th-seeded Australian Alex De Minaur 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Berrettini lost in the 2021 final against Novak Djokovic, but Zverev had already warned about underestimating the 27-year-old due to a weaker period caused by injuries before Wimbledon.

"Matteo is one of the best grass court players in recent years," Zverev commented on the upcoming match against the Italian. "It's his best surface, and it's my worst, even though I like it here," Zverev added, "let's see what happens against him."

Alexander Zverev surpasses Michael Stich

With his 79th victory in a Grand Slam match, Zverev now ranks third in the German all-time list, surpassing former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich. The only players with more wins in the four major tournaments are Boris Becker (168) and Tommy Haas (105).

Zverev's compatriot Maximilian Marterer missed out on a place in the round of 16. The 28-year-old qualifier from Nuremberg lost to Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik with a score of 4-6, 1-6, 6-7 (4-7), exiting the tournament in the third round. Despite putting up a decent performance, Marterer had to concede defeat to Bublik, who had won the tournament in Halle before Wimbledon and had defeated Zverev in the semifinals. The match lasted 1 hour and 51 minutes.

Maximilian Marterer falls short of the round of 16

This means that the Franconian player is still awaiting his second appearance in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam tournament. He reached the fourth round of the French Open in 2018. Zverev is now the last German representative in the men's singles competition following Marterer's elimination.