The world number three is too strong for the ÖTV teenager who made his ATP tournament debut in Vienna.
Alexander Zverev and Austria’s future hope Joel Schwarzler won the €2,626,045 Erste Bank Open 6:2, 6:2 first round clash with local fans in Vienna. Sown German.
For Joel Schwarzler it was his first appearance at ATP 500 tournament level – and in a well-attended Vienna Stadthall. At the beginning, the audience supported the local hero, and in the first rallies, Schwarzler was able to stand third in the world rankings. But Alexander Zverev managed the first break early to take a 2-1 lead. Schwarzler was unable to recover from a 40-0 lead and lost the service game and then the first set 2-6.
History repeated itself in the second round: although the 18-year-old could not reach Zverev’s serve, he repeatedly prepared points on his own serve, eventually giving them back with a few avoidable errors. In addition, Zverev showed no weakness when serving on his own serve and played the points dry until the end. With Zverev 5-1 up, Schwärzler managed to fend off three match points on his own serve, but the German eventually secured a convincing victory after 68 minutes.
Schwarzler: “It was fun to play here”
“Of course it was nice to be able to play here. Of course I was disappointed – not because I lost, but because I didn’t play as well as I wanted,” Schwarzler explained after his debut in Vienna. “Of course I was nervous. The nervousness in the match eased because you focus.” Vorarlberg talked about his match plan: “I didn’t want to play his backhand if possible, but I didn’t play my own backhand that well today, so I couldn’t. Not build the pressure I wanted.” During the handshake, Zverev spoke to the young Austrian at length. “He said only positive things to me,” Schwarzler revealed.
“He didn’t find himself in an easy situation: playing against the world number three for the first time in front of 10,000 people – it’s not easy,” Zverev explained after the game. “He’s a great player, a great talent, I’m sure he’ll go very, very far. He can definitely be the successor to Dominic Thiem in Austria, but one shouldn’t underestimate Dominic’s career. He’s won a Grand Slam and a Masters. It’s not that easy. Joel started well today and soon. I was lucky to beat him. After that, things went downhill for him, but this is normal, this big stage is new to him.
Berettini and Copoli continue, qualifier Mencic defeats Bobrin
Matteo Berettini confidently led a lap ahead. The Italian (ATP 41) defeated Hungarian qualifier Márton Fucsovics (ATP 88) 7:5, 6:4. Along with Flavio Coppoli (ATP 31), the second Italian entered the last 16 in the last match of the day, defeating Spaniard Alejandro Davidovic Fogina (ATP 62) 7:6 (1), 6:3. 19-year-old Czech qualifier Jakub Mencic (ATP 51) upset eighth-seeded Australian Alexey Paprin (ATP 25) at the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal in August, 7:6 (3), 6:2.
Ticket information
Remaining tickets for Erste Bank Opening are available online on websites www.erstebank-open.com/tickets, www.stadthalle.com, www.wien-ticket.at as well as www.oeticket.com Available. Additional information can be obtained from the ticket hotline number 01/79 999 79.
Tickets for the “Official Tennis Experience” in Studio F of the Wiener Stadthalle, which runs until November 3, 2024, can be purchased here www.championsofvienna.com will be received.
