Toronto, Canada – After a month-long hiatus from the ATP Tour, Germany’s top seed Alexander Zverev made a triumphant return at the Toronto Masters on Tuesday, grinding out a hard-fought 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory over Adam Walton to secure his spot in the third round. Zverev’s comeback was a significant moment in a tournament also featuring comfortable wins for other seeded players, despite the absence of some of the sport’s biggest names.
Zverev’s Resilient Comeback and Milestone Win
Zverev, the world No. 3, revealed that his time away from the court, following a first-round exit at Wimbledon, was dedicated to addressing mental burnout. He even sought consultations and career advice at Rafael Nadal’s esteemed Mallorca academy. This period of reflection and rejuvenation seemingly paid off.
His match against Australia’s Adam Walton was a test of his renewed focus. Zverev fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the opening set tiebreaker to snatch it. In the second set, while serving for the match at 5-3, he faced his first break points of the encounter, going down 0-40 and ultimately losing the game. However, demonstrating his resilience, the German immediately broke back, securing the victory when Walton double-faulted on Zverev’s match point. The match also featured a remarkable 52-shot rally, highlighting the intensity of the contest. The triumph marked Zverev’s 499th career win, putting him on the cusp of a significant milestone.
Top Seeds Find Form as Major Names Are Absent
The Toronto Masters is notably missing the very top echelon of the men’s game, with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both sidelined due to injury and fatigue issues. Despite these absences, other top seeds wasted no time in advancing.
Third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti and No. 5 Holger Rune both eased into the third round with comfortable straight-sets victories after receiving byes. Musetti, a former semifinalist at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, displayed ruthless efficiency, hammering Australian qualifier James Duckworth 7-5, 6-1 in 82 minutes. The Italian, who has been working to regain form after recent losses, broke Duckworth for a 5-1 lead in the second set on a double-fault and sealed the match with an ace a game later. He is now set to face American Alex Michelsen.
Denmark’s Holger Rune dispatched big-hitting Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (9/7), 6-3. This victory marked Rune’s first hardcourt win since last March at Indian Wells and handed Mpetshi Perricard his fourth career loss against a top-10 player. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud also secured a comfortable win, putting out Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-3. The seeded players’ strong performances set the stage for an intriguing progression through the tournament.
Discussion about this post