Alexander Zverev overcomes a brave Lorenzo Sonego in a comeback: now there's Cobolli
Lorenzo Sonego says goodbye after the second round of the ATP tournament in Halle, one of the main events of the season on the grass.
After a battle that lasted two and a half hours, the Turin player had to surrender to Alexander Zverev, number 3 in the world, winner in three sets with partials of 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2). Still, the signs shown by Sonego ahead of Wimbledon are good.
The match began with Zverev wasting two break points, with Sonego regaining his concentration and giving the German a hard time throughout the first fraction, gaining the decisive lead thanks to the eighth game won on his opponent’s serve. Quite similar was the trend in the second fraction, but this time it was Zverev who emerged from the distance, taking the match to the third set.
The decisive fraction is very balanced and sees both contenders win each game on their own serve. It was then all decided at the tie-break, in which Zverev managed to take a 4-1 lead and never looked back until the final 7-2. It’s the German, then, who qualifies for the quarterfinals, where he will face another Italian, Flavio Cobolli.
The Terra Wortmann Open in Halle boasts more than a century-long history: the first edition was held in 1993 with Frenchman Henri Leconte winning against Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev, while the tennis player with the most singles victories is Roger Federer, with ten wins between 2003 and 2019. The tournament holder is Jannik Sinner, who in 2024 beat Hubert Hurkacz in two sets.
