Zoned-In Zverev Eases Past Dimitrov In Cincinnati

In a battle of former Western & Southern Open champions, it was Alexander Zverev who roused his best level Tuesday in Cincinnati.

The 16th-seeded German downed Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2 to extend his winning streak at the ATP Masters 1000 in Ohio to six matches. Zverev needed little time to reacquaint himself with the centre court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on his first appearance there since his 2021 title run, converting four of eight break points he earned against Dimitrov for a 72-minute win.

“I think I adjusted to the conditions a bit better and maybe was a bit more patient than him as well, but always when you play against Grigor, especially in the early rounds, it’s very dangerous,” said Zverev. “He’s somebody that hits the ball very hard, a very aggressive player, and you have to be there all the time. I was, from start to finish, and I’m very happy with that.”

Zverev particularly targeted Dimitrov’s second serve throughout the pair’s sixth Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter. The German won 75 per cent (21/28) of points against the Bulgarian’s second delivery, and he later acknowledged that had been key to his victory in windy conditions on the fast Cincinnati courts.

“I think patience is one thing, but the other is people struggle with their serve a bit more [in the wind], so you have to keep focusing on the games that you are in. Especially against Grigor, he’s serving 135 or 140 mile per hour serves, there are a lot of games that he will just go through and you have no chance. So being patient and just focusing on yourself [is key].”

It was Zverev’s first hard-court win against a Top 20 opponent in four attempts this season. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion is 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin as he seeks a sixth appearance at the prestigious season finale. His reward for downing the World No. 19 Dimitrov in Cincinnati is a second-round encounter with Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.