Zverev strong start with convincing victory over Griekspoor at Canadian Open

Alexander Zverev easily defeated Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 6-4, 7-6, securing a successful advancement in the Canadian Open.

Following his early exit in the third round of Wimbledon, Zverev opted to stay in Europe to compete in two tournaments before heading to the US for the hardcourt swing. This decision paid off as he clinched the title at the ATP Hamburg Open in his home country.

On the other hand, Griekspoor arrived in Toronto after an impressive week at the DC Open, where he reached the final with a notable victory over the local first seed, Taylor Fritz. However, he fell in the final match against Dan Evans.

The Dutch player swiftly traveled to Toronto to participate in the Canadian Open, where he faced a tough draw against Zverev after an exhausting week.

The match began evenly, with both players having no trouble defending their serves during the first set. Zverev seized an opportune break point while leading 5-4, securing the crucial break of the match at the right moment to claim the set and take the lead.

Zverev displayed aggressiveness, tallying 14 winners and five unforced errors, compared to Griekspoor's 10 winners and 6 unforced errors. Griekspoor notably struggled with his low first-serve percentage, barely reaching 54%.

In the second set, Zverev left no room for Griekspoor to capitalize on his service. The German surrendered only two points in the set and managed to win 13 consecutive points on his serve. However, the 27-year-old Dutch player held on to his service games, taking the set to a tie-break.

Surprisingly, Zverev conceded the first point on his serve in the tie-break, but quickly regained control. Unforced errors from the world No. 26 proved pivotal as Zverev secured the victory with a score of 6-4, 7-6.

In the second round, the former world No. 2 will face an inspired Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who dominated in the first round by defeating the American Jeffrey John Wolf with a score of 6-0, 6-2 in just 63 minutes.