ATP Halle: Zverev got off to a strong start, Tsitsipas lost to Mikkelsen

On June 18, local time, the second round of the men's singles competition at the ATP 500 Halle station began, and the local darling Zverev swept the American player Giron 6-1/6-2 in only 79 minutes.

Zverev data map

"It was a perfect day," Zverev said after the match, "and while the opponent may not be at his best, my pressing style of play played a key role. The German's record improved to 19-8 after reaching back-to-back finals in 2016-17 (defeats to F. Mayer and Federer) and back-to-back semi-finals in 2023-24.

Zverev is chasing his seventh home title, having won his sixth on clay in Munich in April, but he is still looking to make up for his three grass-court finals in Germany (Halle 2016-17 and Stuttgart 2025).

"I've always been aggressive in attack, especially in the extensions," Zverev explains, "and I have to compress his shots and get passive when I get him in control. The German's second-round opponent is Sonego, for whom Zverev holds a 4-0 advantage, having eliminated the Italian in the second round in Halle last year.

Eighth seed Khachanov will face Aliassime for a place in the quarter-finals with Alex Hertogenbosch runner-up Berges 7-5, 6-3. Rising American star Mickelson continued his dark horse streak with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over Greece's Tsitsipas to defeat her opponent for the first time since the Australian Open this season. After knocking out No. 5 seed Cerundoro in the first round, Mikkelsen will take on No. 2 seed Dmitry Medvedev.

(Text, Editor/Faye Wong, Photo/Visual China)