Zverev finds his rhythm against ‘talented and aggressive’ Diallo

Zverev quickly flipped the script. The three-time major finalist, armed with years of experience playing best-of-five-sets tennis, broke Diallo twice and lost just three points on serve en-route to taking the second set in a swift 31 minutes.

In the third set, the German broke in the seventh game, courtesy of a crisp backhand volley. Looking increasingly comfortable and with his foot firmly on the pedal, Zverev sent down another booming ace to close out the set.

With the finish line in sight, Zverev broke in the opening game of the fourth set and then again for a 5-2 lead. The German secured victory on his first match point with a huge serve that Diallo got his racquet on to deny Zverev his 14th ace of the match.

“[After the tiebreak], I was thinking ‘Can’t get worse than that,’” Zverev admitted. “It got a lot better after that for me and I started hitting my forehand a bit better, started returning a bit better and just generally was more into the game, was more aggressive, was more taking it on more myself and that’s the way I have to play, I know that.”

Diallo, who remains on the hunt for a first win over a top-five opponent after five attempts, can be heartened by his performance. The Canadian won 69% or 27 of 39 net points, eclipsing the German’s 63%, and even clocked his fastest serve at 224 km/h, 8 km/h ahead of Zverev’s.

In the second round, the third seed will face the victor of Monday’s first round battle between Australian Alexei Popyrin and France’s Alexandre Muller. With plenty of time before his next duel, Zverev said he may spend some of it playing padel or perhaps at a casino.

“My brother has won a lot of money in the casino this week, so I hope that streak continues,” he said. “I haven’t played yet so maybe I’ll have to start as well.”

After competing in just two matches at the United Cup, where he was felled by Hubert Hurkacz in a match that ultimately denied Germany a trip to the quarterfinals, Zverev said he was grateful for the challenge mounted by the powerful Diallo.

He compared the young Canadian’s brand of tennis to that of Arthur Rinderknech, the talented Frenchman who toppled Zverev in the first round of Wimbledon last year.

“It's a positive for sure, because you have been tested and you know where you are and you know where your level is at, especially in difficult moments,” he said. “I was happy with how I took on the challenge and especially how I played the last three sets.”

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