Zverev Bests Fritz In Washington #NextGen Battle
Zverev Bests Fritz In Washington #NextGen Battle
Fifth seed Johnson also moves into third round
The future likely will hold plenty of rematches, but on Wednesday, Alexander Zverev confidently took the first contest between he and fellow NextGen star Taylor Fritz at the Citi Open in Washington. The 19-year-old German erased all five break points and pressured Fritz’s serve throughout the second-round contest, cruising to a 6-4, 6-2 win over the 18-year-old American.
Zverev, No. 27 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, never let Fritz find his comfort zone on the hard courts in D.C. The German broke at 1-all and erased all five break points in the next game to seize momentum and lead 3-1. The Hamburg native served out the set at love.
The second set showed a similar story: Zverev broke with heavy groundstrokes at 1-all and again at 3-1. He held with near-perfect serving, winning almost 90 per cent of his first-serve points (33/38) during the contest. On match point, Zverev recorded his seventh ace, and the two likely future stars of the ATP World Tour shared a laugh at the net.
“Taylor has great potential for the future. That’s obvious,” Zverev said. “We’re all very young and there’s room for improvement for both of us.”
In the third round, Zverev, the 2015 ATP Star Of Tomorrow presented by Emirates, will face Tunisian Malek Jaziri, a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) winner over No. 9 seed Kevin Anderson. On 11 July, Zverev became the youngest player to break into the Top 30 of the Emirates ATP Rankings since Rafael Nadal in March 2005.
“The goal for this year is just to get better and become the best player you can to compete in the best tournaments you can,” Zverev said. “I’m just trying to get better, to learn, and get stronger physically to compete against other guys.”
Second seed Gael Monfils gained his first win since 3 May by breezing past Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei 6-3, 6-2. The 29-year-old Frenchman, playing in Washington for the third time, hit 10 aces and never faced a break point in the 61-minute match. He will take on #NextGen player Borna Coric for a place in the quarter-finals after the Croat defeated Yuichi Sugita of Japan 6-4, 6-4.
“I love the tournament, and it’s in a city that I really like. I have great memories here,” Monfils said. “I’m happy to be back this year.”
A virus has kept Monfils, the 2011 Washington finalist, away from action during the past two months. Since he played in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open on 4 May, Monfils has played in only two matches – first-round losses in Rome and at Wimbledon.
“I’m very pleased. It’s been a tough month, and I’m glad to be back on the court and 100 per cent,” Monfils said. “I was a bit surprised that I could play that good so soon. Hopefully, with a couple matches, I can be back.”
Fifth seed Steve Johnson kept up his stellar pace with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. The match was suspended because of rain on Tuesday evening with Johnson leading 4-2. When play resumed on Wednesday, Johnson picked up where he left off and, behind 12 aces, finished the match in an hour and nine minutes overall. Johnson reached the semi-finals in Washington last year (l. to Isner).
The 26-year-old American has picked up his game of late. He started the season 6-14 but in his past five tournaments has gone 12-3. The better half includes his maiden title in Nottingham last month and his best showing at a Grand Slam championship, a fourth-round finish in Wimbledon (l. to Federer). Johnson also is playing at a career high in the Emirates ATP Rankings, No. 25.