Alexander Zverev returned to competition with a win at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto, defeating Adam Walton 7-6(6), 6-4. The match featured a notable 52-shot rally that helped Zverev secure set point in the opening set. This is his first match since an early exit at Wimbledon.
“It was a very important moment, very important point for me,” Zverev said. “Lucky to get through in the first set and finishing it off in two.”
Zverev’s performance varied during the match, but he lost only three points on his first serve and is now one win away from reaching 500 career tour-level victories, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He was broken while serving for the match at 5-3 but recovered to close out the contest in one hour and 42 minutes.
“Sometimes it’s about winning a match, [despite] not always playing your best,” said Zverev. “I know it wasn’t the prettiest match, for sure, but I haven’t played a match in four weeks. I took some time off, which I needed also for myself. I’m happy to be playing again. Tomorrow is another day and I hope I will be better tomorrow.”
Zverev, currently ranked No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and a seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion with a previous title in Canada from 2017, will next face Matteo Arnaldi. Arnaldi advanced after defeating Tristan Schoolkate and trails Zverev 0-1 in their head-to-head meetings.
Elsewhere at the tournament, Learner Tien defeated Denis Shapovalov 7-6(4), 7-5 to reach his first third round at an ATP Masters 1000 event. Casper Ruud advanced past Roman Safiullin and will play Nuno Borges next. Reilly Opelka overcame Tomas Machac in three sets, while Francisco Cerundolo beat Jaume Munar and Tomas Martin Etcheverry upset Tallon Griekspoor.