Alexander Zverev advanced to the third round of the Australian Open by defeating Alexandre Muller in a four-set match marked by rain delays and an injury concern. The third seed recovered from dropping the second set to secure a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Wednesday in Melbourne. He will next face Cameron Norrie, against whom he holds a perfect head-to-head record.
Alexander Zverev, last year's finalist and aiming for his first Grand Slam title, faced a challenging second-round match against Alexandre Muller at the Australian Open on Wednesday. The German third seed started strongly, taking the first set 6-3 after solid baseline exchanges. Muller, who had played a five-setter two days earlier against Alexei Popyrin, responded resiliently to level the match by winning the second set 6-4.
Play was disrupted by rain midway through the third set, with Zverev leading 4-2. After a nearly 40-minute delay on John Cain Arena, the roof was closed, and Zverev quickly regained momentum, breaking Muller to win the set 6-3 and take control of the contest.
In the fourth set, Zverev broke early for a 2-0 lead but paused at 2-1 due to what appeared to be a leg injury, receiving medical treatment before continuing. Despite the scare, he struck big winners to shorten points and reached match point twice, ultimately sealing the three-hour victory with a powerful ace. Zverev hit 45 winners in the match.
"Credit to him. Two days ago, he played 7-6 in the fifth against an Australian, Popyrin, and the way he came out, he played amazing tennis," Zverev said. "I thought it was a very high-level match... I am extremely happy with this match."
Zverev, who leads Cameron Norrie 6-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head, including a 2024 Australian Open fourth-round win, advances to face the British 26th seed. The match highlighted Zverev's fitness and aggression, though the injury concern adds uncertainty to his campaign.
