Zverev cruises to victory in Madrid opener
No.1 seed Alexander Zverev made a confident start to his Madrid Open campaign, extending his winning streak to six matches with a 6-2 6-2 win over Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.
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Zverev, who won this ATP Masters 1000 event in 2018 and 2021, comes into the tournament on the back of a stirring win in Munich last week, his first trophy of the season.
The German kept up the momentum he gained from that home win to dish out defeat for a home favourite in just 69 minutes, sealing his passage into the third round.
“[It was] a good match, I knew I had to focus against Roberto,” Zverev said.
“I knew that it was going to be a tough challenge, and I’m very happy with the win."
Zverev won 81 per cent of his first-serve points and fired 32 winners past Bautista Agut, who could muster only four in return.
“This is my favourite centre court in the world, I only lost twice here in my entire life," Zverev, who next faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, said.
"I hope that stays the way throughout the next 10 days and that I can continue playing good tennis. As long as I do that I’m happy.”
