Nine days after his historic coronation at Roland-Garros, Alexander Zverev opened his grass-court campaign at the Halle Open with a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. The win carried historical significance, as the German equalled Rafael Nadal's all-time record for most ATP 500 match wins.
The first set suggested a straightforward afternoon. Zverev's serve was firing, his returns were deep, and he broke at the right moments to seal a 6-3 opener. Then the grass reminded everyone of its unpredictable nature. Kopriva, ranked 103rd but a natural fast-court competitor, raised his level in the second set. The Czech broke Zverev at 4-3 and closed it out 6-4, handing the world number three his first set lost since the fourth set of the Paris final against Flavio Cobolli.
The decider left no room for doubt. Zverev found his rhythm early, breaking in the opening game and never looking back. A 6-2 third set, finished with a serve down the line, sealed his passage into the second round.
The milestone adds context to Zverev's remarkable consistency at the ATP 500 level. From Hamburg to Vienna, Beijing and now Paris, the German has built an impressive record in this tournament category over the past decade.
Elsewhere in Halle, fourth seed dispatched Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4 without fuss, confirming his solid grass-court form heading into the Wimbledon buildup. Tuesday's highlight promises to be a first-round clash between third seed and the returning Nick Kyrgios.
