ATP Toronto: Zverev with a successful start
Alexander Zverev started the ATP 1000 tournament in Toronto with a two-set win against Tallon Griekspoor without any major problems.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edit:
Aug 08, 2023, 11:19 pm
Here you can read the entire match in the live ticker.
Both players traveled to Toronto with great confidence. Alexander Zverev with his "home win" at the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg, while the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor was able to reach a final at the 500 level for the first time last week at the equally categorized tournament in Washington. In a direct comparison, both players won one game each, with the last encounter in spring in Rotterdam going to Griekspoor.
Zverev started with a smooth service game and in his 26-year-old opponent's first service game, which went five times over the debut, with an unused break chance. In the further course of the first round, Zverev also had to fend off a break ball, but was able to hold all of his service games. When the score was 5: 4, the player from Hamburg suddenly got a set ball, which the 24-year-old ice-coldly circled past Griekspoor, who had moved up, with a longline backhand pass.
The second set was characterized by sovereign service games by both protagonists, of which only Griekspoor had to fend off a break ball and it went into the tie-break. After losing the first point of serve, Zverev was able to hit back immediately and changed sides after a double fault by the current No. 26 in the world with a 4-2 lead. As the game progressed, the Olympic champion left nothing to chance and won 6:4, 7:6 (3) after 1:44 hours of play.
"Today the conditions were difficult due to the wind, but I was still able to assert myself and I hope that tomorrow it will be more pleasant and that I can play even better," said Zverev in an on-court interview after the match.
In the second round, the current No. 16 in the world meets the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who clearly won 6:0, 6:2 against the American JJ Wolf.
German doubles players convince
The German doubles specialists also started the tournament successfully. The duo Kevin Krawietz/Tim Pütz defeated the Canadian pairing Polansky/Shamasdin 6:3, 6:2. Andreas Mies and his French partner Fabrice Martin got the better of Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan and Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6:3 and 6:4.
Here is the individual tableau from Toronto
Here the double tableau from Toronto