Appropriately praised Boris Becker at Eurosport the appearance of Zverev. “I’m impressed by his fighting performance. He’s not match-fit yet, but where is that supposed to come from? But Sascha left his heart on the pitch. There’s a lot of work ahead of him now, but it was a good start,” he said the two-time Melbourne champion.
Zverev gained the first advantages and made a break early to make it 2-1.
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However, outsider Michael Mmoh was by no means discouraged and broke through the service of the Olympic champion when he served at 5:4 to win the set.
Zverev plays brilliant tiebreak
“Sascha has to stay aggressive and active. He has to take risks, be brave and determined, take control – because Mmoh returns a lot of balls and moves well,” ex-professional drew Barbara Rittner at Eurosport interim balance.
This is exactly how Zverev performed in the tie-break. The 25-year-old now dominated and didn’t give Mmoh the slightest chance with 7:1.
Zverev strong as a bear with a backhand stop – tiebreak is running for the Olympic champion
However, Zverev messed up the beginning of the second set, or the hard court of the Margaret Court Arena. The world number 13. had to give up the first service game and fell 0:2 behind.
Mmoh turns match against Zverev
Zverev struggled and kept grabbing his thighs. Nevertheless, the Hamburger managed to equalize (2:2), but immediately conceded another break and ultimately had to give up the sentence.
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Mmoh now had the famous momentum on his side. In the third round, the American was lucky with net rollers, but also earned the break to 4: 3 with his courageous game and a little later the set lead.
Rittner: “Zverev gave everything, no reproach”
Zverev clearly noticed the lack of match practice at the highest level. The 25-year-old came back after 0: 2 in the fourth set with two game wins (2: 2), but had to face the world number 107. but after 3:26 hours they gave up.
Fantastic 40-stroke rally – Mmoh scores against Zverev
“Sascha gave everything, he can’t blame himself for that. He was unlucky in some important situations,” said Rittner.
The journey continues for Mmoh, however, in round three the 25-year-old meets compatriot JJ Wolf, who beat Argentinian Diego Schwartzman 6:1, 6:4, 6:4.
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Fantastic 40-stroke rally – Mmoh scores against Zverev
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