Matching Report
Zverev wins for the first time in Shanghai since 2019
The 2nd seed advances to the third round
October 05, 2024
Rolex Shanghai Masters
Alexander Zverev wins his first match in Shanghai since 2019.
By ATP staff
Alexander Zverev is back to winning ways in Shanghai.
The German comfortably registered a 6-4, 6-2 win over Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci at the Rolex Shanghai Masters in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting to advance to the third round on Saturday.
He was the last of the Top 4 seeds to play on Stadium Court, closing out a star-studded lineup after Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic won their opening matches.
After withdrawing from the China Open due to pneumonia last week, the 27-year-old won his first match in Shanghai since 2019 in one hour and 36 minutes. In 2023, he lost to Roman Safiullin in straight sets in the opening match.
“I didn’t practice, I didn’t really do anything. So, I’m happy with the level,” said Zverev, admitting that there was uncertainty leading up to the tournament due to illness.
Competing in his first match since the Laver Cup in September, Zverev showed signs of rust early and committed 12 unforced errors in the first set. Bellucci, playing in his first Masters 1000 event, gave the German a good fight by saving six of seven break points. In the end, Zverev’s experience paid off as he broke lefty in the eighth game to take the lead.
As the match progressed, the 22-time tour-level player found her footing and made only two unforced errors in the second set. Zverev broke the Italian twice and gave up only two points in the set. Overall, he made 71 percent of his first games and won 83 percent of his first points. With his win, he improved to 24-0 against left-handers since 2023 Roland Garros.
“He’s a really good player. He surprised me a lot with his size. His feed is amazing. He gets a lot of speed from that, and since. [the] the base is very aggressive,” the German said of Bellucci.
“Overall, he’s a very talented player, and I think he’s going to go up very quickly now, and we’ll be seeing him regularly on these courts.”
The win marked Zverev’s 58th (58-18) win of the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He sits behind World No. 1 Sinner, who beat Taro Daniel earlier in the day, leading the tour with 60 wins. Chasing his first title in Shanghai after making the final in 2019, Zverev won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome and reached the finals at Roland Garros and Hamburg earlier this year.
The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will face either Jordan Thompson or Tallon Griekspoor in the third round.
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