ATP Tour

Zverev drops set in tough Blockx Wimbledon win

Alexander Zverev did not have things all his own way on Tuesday at Wimbledon, but he found a way past Belgian Alexander Blockx for the third time this season to reach the second round.

In a tussle on Centre Court, the second-seeded German overcame the Wimbledon debutant 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 7-6(0).

Zverev ended his long wait for major glory earlier this month at Roland Garros, where he became the first German man to win a Slam since Boris Becker at the Australian Open in 1996. The 29-year-old will now aim to back up that run on the lawns in south west London, where he has never been beyond the fourth round.

“Roland Garros in the back of your head really helps, but I do believe that I can play well on this surface and that I can play well when I get through some matches and I did get through today so I am very happy about that,” Zverev said. “I hope I will have the best result of my career.”

Zverev (21) and Blockx (16) fired down a combined 37 aces in a serve-dominated clash, with just three breaks of serve across the four sets. However, as is so often the case, Zverev was tough in the big moments, outlasting Blockx in a number of attritional baseline rallies to extend his winning streak at majors to eight.

Zverev now leads Blockx 3-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having also defeated the 21-year-old at ATP Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome this year. The pair shared a warm embrace following their latest three-hour meeting at Wimbledon.

Zverev could rise to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a final run this fortnight but will next focus on facing Valentin Royer in the second round. The Frenchman defeated British wild card Harry Wendelken 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Blockx is competing at a career-high No. 36 this week following a standout breakthrough season. The 21-year-old reached the title match at the Next Gen ATP Finals last December.