Alexander Zverev (Germany) and No. 3 in the scheme has started successfully his participation in the Australian Open tennis championship for men. The finalist from last season prevailed after a turnaround over the Canadian Gabriel Diallo with 6:7(1), 6:1, 6:4, 6:2 in two hours and 45 minutes of play, reports BTA. At “Rod Laver Arena“ Zverev lost the first set against the energetic Diallo, No. 41 in the world rankings, but gradually asserted his superiority and achieved a convincing success on the hot afternoon in Melbourne.
“I was definitely not happy when I saw the draw“, admitted the German, commenting on his opponent, who is among the most dangerous unseeded tennis players in the tournament. "After the first set I thought it couldn't get any worse, but from there things went much better for me," added Zverev.
The first day of the tournament was also marked by discontent among the spectators. Due to increased security measures following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney last month, fans had to wait in long lines under the scorching sun outside the entrances to “Melbourne Park“. Further tension was caused by the decision of the organizers to stop selling the most sought-after types of tickets just an hour after the start, citing extremely high demand.
“We tried to buy a ground pass, but were told that only tickets were left at 229 Australian dollars per person. "It's too expensive and I'm disappointed," local resident Susan Walsh told Reuters.
Earlier in the day, 20th-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli suffered a surprise first-round exit after losing 6-7(1), 4-6, 1-6 to British qualifier Arthur Ferry. Cobolli complained of stomach problems during the match.
It was a memorable Australian Open debut for Ferry, ranked 186th in the world. His victory was also emotional, as his mother Olivia - a former professional tennis player who travelled to Melbourne after her son qualified for the main draw - was in the stands. In the second round, the Briton will play against Argentine Thomas Martin Echeverri.
In other first-round matches, Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina, No. 18) eliminated Zhuzheng Zhang (China) 6-3, 7-6(0), 6-3, and Frenchman Corentin Mouté, seeded No. 32, eliminated Australian Tristan Schoolkeit 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-3.
Damir Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina) defeated Canadian Liam Draxl 7-5, 6-0, 6-4 and will face Cerundolo in the second round. Argentine Francisco Comezana defeated American Patrick Kipson 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Later today, world number one Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) begins his quest for a first Australian Open title against home team Adam Walton in the evening session at “Rod Laver Arena“.