London, July 2 (IANS) Alexander Zverev led a strong show at Wimbledon on Tuesday, though World No. 6 Andrey Rublev became the highest-ranked player to exit the tournament so far. Fourth-seeded Zverev delivered a commanding performance on No. 1 Court, dispatching Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second round for the seventh time in eight appearances. The German showcased his powerful game with 46 winners, including 18 aces, making a statement in his opening match at an event where he has yet to reach the quarterfinals.
“First rounds are never easy, but I’m happy with how I started the tournament,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “I want to compete, I want to do well here at Wimbledon. It’s the most historic tennis tournament that we have. I’ve struggled over the years here on these beautiful courts, unfortunately, but I feel different this year. I feel somehow very much more into it, very much more alive on these courts, and hopefully, I can show that in the next few matches.”
With his one-hour, 53-minute triumph against Carballes Baena, Zverev set up a second-round clash with either Marcos Giron or home wild card Henry Searle. Zverev is now 12-2 for the year in Grand Slam matches, having reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and the final at Roland Garros.
However, it was a different story on No. 2 Court, where Rublev saw his perfect record in Wimbledon’s first rounds shattered. Argentine Francisco Comesana, ranked No. 122, upset the sixth seed 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5). In a match interrupted by rain, Comesana converted four of five break points to secure a famous victory in just his second grass-court match at any level, professional or junior.
Comesana’s reward is a second-round encounter with Adam Walton, who notched his own maiden major victory by defeating Federico Coria 6-3, 6-3, 7-5.
Rublev’s defeat is a significant blow to his standing in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 17-time tour-level title was defending quarterfinal points from Wimbledon 2023 and has now slipped below Hubert Hurkacz into seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Rublev remains eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin but missed an important opportunity to bolster his Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances.
In contrast, there were no such troubles for Hurkacz and Alex de Minaur in their respective first-round outings. Seventh-seeded Hurkacz rallied past Radu Albot 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 with the help of 24 aces, setting up a meeting with either Arthur Fils or Dominic Stricker.
De Minaur, who claimed his second tour-level title on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last month, defeated fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6(1), 7-6(3), 7-6(4). The ninth seed will look to improve his breakpoint conversion in his next match after going 3/19 against Duckworth. He will face Jaume Munar, who beat Billy Harris 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in the second round.
–IANS
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