Zverev advances smoothly into Wimbledon third round, faces Giron

The player from Hamburg showed in the very first set why he had triumphed at the French Open. He broke his opponent's serve three times and decided the opener in his favor after just 32 minutes with a return winner. Royer, whom Zverev had previously described as a player who „die große Bühne relativ gern hat“, found no answer in this phase to the German's serve and baseline strokes.

Third set the only cause for concern

The 2021 Olympic champion also had everything under control in the second section. After an early break to go up 2-0, he steadily extended his lead and won nine games in a row – an extraordinary streak that made the class difference between the two players clear. It was only at 6-1, 3-0 that Royer won his first game, thus preventing an even more emphatic demonstration from the favorite.

The third set, however, developed much more tightly than the two previous games. Royer fought his way back into the match and put Zverev in an uncomfortable position at times. From 4:2 it became 4:5 before the German recovered in time and saved the set in a tiebreak. There, Zverev kept his nerve and converted his third match point after 2:02 hours.

Zverev praises his own efficiency

„Für zweieinhalb Sätze habe ich beinahe ein perfektes Match gespielt. Ich bin froh, dass ich nicht noch einen Satz spielen musste“, said Zverev in the on-court winner's interview. The 29-year-old added with a smile: „Ich bin noch nicht alt, aber ich bin in einem Alter, wo man Energie sparen muss.“ Also with regard to his self-confidence, the player from Hamburg explained: „Ich komme in ein Alter, wo du Energie sparen musst und es gibt dir auch Selbstvertrauen."

His opponent's 41 aces were never able to seriously worry the German Davis Cup player. Instead, he consistently held his own serve and dictated proceedings from the baseline. Only in the third set did he allow Royer more of a share of the play, but in the end this changed nothing about the clear overall tally.

Giron awaits in round three

In the third round, the American Marcos Giron now awaits after he defeated the Frenchman Quentin Halys 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4. Zverev goes into the match as the clear favorite, especially since the German celebrated his first Grand Slam title this season with victory at the French Open. „Aber wenn ich so weiterspiele, denke ich, dass es dieses Jahr passieren kann", Zverev had explained with a view to his long-term season plan.

Struff battles through

In parallel to Zverev's success, Jan-Lennard Struff from the Sauerland region is also fighting for a place in the round of 16. In an extraordinary serving duel, he prevailed 4-6, 7-6 (8:6), 7-6 (7:5), 6-7 (6:8), 7-6 (10:7), benefiting from a total of 45 aces. Should Zverev and Struff master their next tasks, an all-German duel in the round of 16 of the London grass classic would be possible.

Previous year's finalists advance

In the women's draw, the two previous year's finalists have reached the round of the last 32. The Pole Iga Świątek and the American Amanda Anisimova, who had lost the previous year's final 0-6, 0-6, prevailed in their respective matches. The Ukrainian Paris semifinalist Marta Kostyuk had to fight harder than expected against the Russian Anna Blinkova, losing 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3.

Zverev himself showed relief after the match about the comparatively short playing time. „Ich bin froh, dass ich in drei Sätzen durch bin", the German explained, emphasizing with regard to the upcoming tasks at Wimbledon how important conserving energy was for the rest of the tournament. The weather conditions in London played a role as well as the tight scheduling of matches in the second week.

For Zverev, Wimbledon has for years been the tournament at which he has never made it past the quarterfinals. With this year's form and the self-assurance of a Grand Slam champion, he could go further than ever before. The clear performance against Royer further fueled this hope, even though the upcoming opponent Giron is particularly uncomfortable to play against on grass.

The victory over Royer was also a signal to the competition: following his French Open triumph, Zverev finally appears capable this season of consistently competing for the title on grass as well. The coming days will show whether he can actually make the leap into the round of 16 or beyond at Wimbledon. The start against Royer, at any rate, was promising from a German perspective.

Overall, Zverev's second appearance at the grass classic in London offered the mix of dominance, efficiency, and nerve that one expects from a top player. While Royer at times appeared resigned, the German kept control even in the critical moments of the third set. „Ich bin noch nicht alt, aber ich bin in einem Alter, wo man Energie sparen muss", Zverev summed up his tactics with a smile.

With a view to the coming days, the focus is now on the match against Giron. The American has already impressed on grass this season and will not be an easy opponent for Zverev. Nevertheless, the player from Hamburg goes into the match as the clear favorite and could lay the foundation for a deep Wimbledon run with another win.