ATP Tour

Altmaier saves 2 MPs in Rome, sets clash with two-time champ Zverev

Daniel Altmaier delivered when it mattered most on Wednesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where he saved two match points to overcome Zhang Zhizhen.

The No. 64 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Altmaier saved the match points on his own serve at 3-5, 15/40 in the second set before prevailing 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 for his first ATP Masters 1000 match win of the season. The 27-year-old's reward is a second-round meeting with two-time Rome champion Alexander Zverev, who leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-1.

Altmaier’s fellow Germans Yannick Hanfmann and Jan-Lennard Struff also advanced on Wednesday. Hanfmann downed former Top-10 star Hubert Hurkacz 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 6-2 to set a second-round clash with 18th seed Luciano Darderi. Struff defeated Francisco Comesana 6-2, 6-4 and will next take on 11th seed Jiri Lehecka.

Home favourite Matteo Arnaldi maintained his run of good form by pulling through a difficult opening test against Jaume Munar. Arnaldi, who lifted the trophy at the ATP Challenger 175 event in Cagliari last week, earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory for his first tour-level match win in six attempts this year. The Italian will play sixth seed Alex de Minaur for a third-round spot.

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Sebastian Baez and Nuno Borges were among the other first-round winners on Day 1 at the Foro Italico. Baez needed seven match points but finally completed a 6-3, 7-6(8) victory against Jenson Brooksby and will next play ninth seed Alexander Bublik. Meanwhile Portuguese star Borges raced past qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-3, 6-0 and will be the second-round opponent for fast-rising #NextGenATP Rafael Jodar.