Terra Wortman Open Halle: Alexander Zverev after his straight sets win over Dominic Thiem in the round of 16

“It was a typical grass match. In general, I’m quite satisfied. I didn’t always hit the ball well, but it’s not always so easy either,” said Zverev.

Before switching from sand to grass, he had already openly admitted that he was still a stranger to the green. “I’m too big for the surface,” the 1.98m Zverev told Sport Bild recently. The ball bounces more flat and thus under its swing zone. He didn’t have much optimism about Wimbledon (from July 3).

On Tuesday, Zverev entered the match well from the start and especially shone with his fine serve game. With a break to 4: 2, he set the course in the first set. As a result, Zverev had almost no problems and was also convinced of 11 out of 13 successful network attacks.

It was a match with history for Zverev. In 2020, he had a memorable final at the US Open with then world class player Thiem. Zverev missed two points to clinch the long-awaited Grand Slam title. He hasn’t come close to winning a major trophy to this day, and he’s long mourned the opportunity.

Hanfmann is also in the round of 16

Recently, the two friends, who was the second duel after New York, had to fight hard. Thiem temporarily slipped out of the top 300 after a wrist injury and mental issues. Zverev searched for his best form for a long time after his severe ankle injury, but managed his hoped-for liberation goal by reaching the semi-finals in Paris. .

Previously, Yannick Hanfmann reached the round of 16 for the first time in Halle. The 31-year-old from Karlsruhe emerged victorious in the opening German duel against strong qualifier and local champion Louis Wessels (Detmold) 6: 4, 3: 6, 6: 3. In the round of 16, Hanfmann will face third-placed Russian Andrei Rubleo, or Chinese Wu Yiping.

Daniel Altmaier had to withdraw from the tournament shortly before his first round match due to an injury. The 24-year-old from Kempen, who slipped into the main draw as a lucky loser, suffers from “constant complaints,” organizers of the Terra Wortman Open announced.