Melbourne, Jan 18 (.) Third seed Alexander Zverev overcame a sluggish start to his Australian Open campaign on Sunday after recording a four-set victory against Gabriel Diallo in Melbourne.
In warm conditions on the center court of Rod Laver Arena, the German recovered to beat 24-year-old Diallo 6-7 (1), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 43 minutes.
Zverev, last year’s beaten finalist at Melbourne Park, had a fright when he struggled in the first set tiebreak before regaining his composure and taking control of the first-round match with his trademark powerful groundstrokes.
“The first set wasn’t my best tennis, but afterward, when I got into the match, I felt really good on the court and definitely happy with the level,” said Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam finalist.
Zverev’s quest for a maiden major triumph continues when he next plays Australian Alexei Popyrin or France’s Alexandre Muller.
. XINHUA VAN