HAMBURG/STARNBERG, May 19, 2025
Alexander Zverev made a confident start to his Bitpanda Hamburg Open campaign on Monday, much to the delight of the home crowd. The World No. 3 and top seed entered the ATP 500 event last minute thanks to an A+ wildcard – and he wasted no time showing why he’s a contender for the title.
After warming up on Practice Court 2 around midday, Zverev returned later in the afternoon for his highly anticipated first-round clash against US-American Aleksandar Kovacevic on Centre Court. He came out strong, dictating the match with powerful serves and pinpoint groundstrokes. The first set was a one-sided affair, with Zverev racing to a commanding 6-1 lead.
Kovacevic raised his level in the second set, matching the German in the early games. But with an electrifying sprint to a drop shot followed by a crisp volley, Zverev secured a key break for 3-1. It wasn’t the final word, though Kovacevic broke back and pushed the set to a tiebreak. Still, Zverev refocused and elevated his game when it mattered, taking the tiebreak and sealing a 6-1, 7-6 victory after one hour and 34 minutes.
Zverev in two ✌️
Former champion @AlexZverev is up and running in Hamburg, getting past Kovacevic 6-1 7-6!@hamburgopenatp pic.twitter.com/yU6Qx7utFt
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 19, 2025
“I lost a bit of focus in the second set,” Zverev admitted during his on-court interview, “but overall I’m happy with the performance.”
Zverev, who is using the Hamburg Open to gain valuable match play ahead of the French Open at Roland Garros, will face Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the second round on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Andrey Rublev also cruised into the second round with a confident 6-4, 6-3 win over Bosnian veteran Damir Dzumhur. The World No. 17 struck three aces and won 83 per cent of his first service points in a rock-solid performance, extending his head-to-head record over Dzumhur to 6-0. Rublev will next face Justin Engel, who emerged victorious from the all-German affair with Jan-Lennard Struff winning 7-6(4), 7-6(4) in one hour and 40 minutes.
Youngest Germans to win a match in Hamburg in the Open Era:
16 years old – Boris Becker (1984)
17 years old – Alexander Zverev (2014)
17 years old – Justin Engel (2025)@hamburgopenatp pic.twitter.com/aw66A2YOTQ— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 19, 2025
In the day’s opening match on Centre Court, US-American Brandon Nakashima advanced after Belgian qualifier Raphael Collignon was forced to retire due to injury at 6-5 in the first set. Up next for Nakashima will be Luciano Darderi of Italy, who eased past German wild card entry Diego Dedura 6-1, 6-4
