Indian Wells, Calif., Oct. 11 (BUS): World number four Alexander Zverev said he had a hard time facing American Jenson Broxby on Sunday, recovering from a series of second-set errors to win 6-4 3.6, 6-1 in Second round of Indian Wells.
The German took an early break in the first set but lost some momentum in the second, winning with less than half his service points as 20-year-old Broxby sprinted off, weeks after reaching the fourth round of the US Open. A wildcard, according to Reuters.
But Zverev, who picked up a gold medal in Tokyo this summer, quickly found his composure, losing just one serve point in the third set, never having a break point, and firing 10 aces.
“The match was not my best game ever, but I won,” Zverev told reporters. “I think the third set was very good. I started feeling better on the ball.”
The men’s tour said the win meant the 24-year-old became the fourth singles player to qualify for the ATP Finals, which ends next month in Turin.
“I had my best season so far and I’m really happy to qualify,” added Zverev, who won the title in 2018 in London.
Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic also booked their places in the tournament.
Zverev’s immediate focus will be on securing his third Masters 1000 title after winning the Madrid Open and the Cincinnati Masters this year.
He will then meet Britain’s Andy Murray, who defeated Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in a marathon that lasted three hours and three minutes on Sunday.
“The conditions are not ideal for me,” Zverev added. “I did not do my best here. I will do my best at the end of the day.”
“Andy is playing great again. He’s won two great games. I think today was a very high level of him. I’m looking forward to playing with him. He’s the only one out of the ‘Big Four’ that I haven’t lost yet. I hope I can change that after tomorrow.”