Following last Sunday’s triumph in Munich, where he captured his 24th career title on tour, top seed Alexander Zverev succeeded in carrying momentum to Madrid, opening his campaign with a victory over Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.
Two-time champion Alexander Zverev progressed to the third round at the Mutua Madrid Open by racing through world No. 55 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2 in just 69 minutes at the Caja Magica.
Madrid Welcomes Zverev with Open Arms
Fresh from his triumph in Munich, where he defeated American Ben Shelton to lift the trophy at the ATP 500 venue, the world number two arrived in the Spanish capital confident to battle for a third crown at the Masters 1000 tournament contested on clay.
On a five-match winning streak, the three-time major runner-up made a fast start to the opener, breaking twice before opening a 4-0 lead over the experienced Spanish player.
In control of play, he marched to seal the first set 6-2 in 35 minutes at the iconic Manolo Santana Stadium, winning 92 percent of the points on his first serve.
Relentless, Zverev converted a break in the third game of the second set and held to take a 3-1 advantage.
Bautista Agut, making his 11th appearance at the event, regrouped, using his experience to add pressure on the former champion, narrowing the gap to 2-3.
However, the Hamburg native stayed flawless on serve, firing aces en route to a double break, wrapping up the set 6-2 and the match, moving into the third round without dropping serve throughout the contest.
He hit 32 winners against 24 unforced errors, winning 81 percent of the points on his first serve, and converted four of nine break points.
Zverev launched his season with a solid run to the Australian Open but lost in the final to the defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Missing his third Grand Slam final took a toll on the 28-year-old, who struggled to find his groove since then until last week when he captured the title on home soil.
In his pre-tournament press conference in Madrid, he commented: “I’ve already said that Australia affected me; there were a lot of things on my mind, and I wasn’t playing well.”
The confidence boost result came at the right time, just days before one of his favorite tournaments, which he has claimed twice.
“The center court is my favorite court. It’s also a place where I’ve had a lot of success, so that helps,” he added.
“I hope to continue this year in the same vein as in recent years, winning big matches and going far in the tournament.”
Elsewhere, 14th seed Casper Ruud cruised past world No. 76 Arthur Rinderknech with a 6-3, 6-4 win in 73 minutes.
Earlier, Argentine Francisco Comesana stunned Frenchman Arthur Fils 7-6(4), 6-4, earning a much-deserved ticket to the third round in Madrid, setting up a meeting with compatriot and 20th seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Comesana, 24, rallied from 1-5 down in the opening set to come out on top, building momentum into the second set when he backed up his run of form to emerge victorious.
For his part, world No. 10 Daniil Medvedev advanced to the next round by walkover after Serbian Laslo Djere withdrew due to a left shoulder injury.
