The German Alexander Zverev, second tournament favorite and title defender, took advantage of his bursts of good play to reach the round of 16 of Mutua Madrid is open at the expense of croatian Marin Cilicwhich he defeated 4-6, 6-4 and 6-4.
The German took away the bitter aftertaste of his last appearance on the circuit, when he lost his first match in Munich against Danish Holger Rune, who is 70 years old in the world.
In the round of 16 at Caja Mágica he will find a rival, in principle, that he can afford: the American Sebastian Kora (30) or the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (63).
It has not been easy for Cilic to win. The overwhelming percentage of defeats in their previous encounters, six out of seven, have not been a hindrance to the Croatian, who has accepted the exchanges offered to him by his rival and has come out with bright colors in many of them.
With a break per side, the first set tied at 4-4. Cilic took over the next two games and closed the set where the German’s serve was far from doing any damage.
The defending champion was able to lead 3-1 and 0-40 in the second, although five consecutive points from Cilic prevented him from getting even further distance on the scoreboard. The one he has, and the performance at times -but what a good time- of his right is enough for Zverev to get the second sleeve, before the prospect of looking from the standpoint of his new coach, the Spaniard and Sergi Bruguera.
Not published as of 2022
An early break in the third set put the fight in front of Zverev, who maintained that advantage until the end. Cilic went to the dressing room after getting only four direct service points, the key that opened so many doors for him on the circuit.
The Hamburg player, who won nine titles in 2021, including this one in Madrid, did not achieve in 2022. At the Australian Open he fell in the round of 16. Prior to joining Caja Mágica, he was a quarterfinalist in Indian Wells, a semi-finalist in Monaco and a surprising loser in Munich on his debut.
Source: La Verdad
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