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After battling Borna Coric for 3 units in his Miami opener, Alex Zverev closed Sunday’s night session in Onerous Rock Stadium with a way more comfy victory towards American Mackenzie McDonald.
In a 6-2, 6-2 cruise, the German had break factors in every of his first six return video games, changing in 4 of them as he raced to a 6-2, 4-0 lead. He wiped away the one break level he confronted, with McDonald’s alternative coming in a low-leverage state of affairs as he trailed by a double break at 4-1 within the opener.
“I am completely satisfied to be discovering my rhythm just a little bit,” Zverev stated after the one-hour, 13-minute victory. “I am pleased with getting simpler wins, as properly. Simply typically completely satisfied to be within the fourth spherical. I feel the event goes to get harder from right here, however I am prepared.”
Zverev improves to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head towards the American, taking all three conferences in straight units, together with in Montpellier in February. McDonald, at present 5 spots off his career-high ATP Rating at World No. 54, was enjoying within the Miami third spherical for the primary time.
Zverev-Kokkinakis R16 👀@AlexZverev will get previous McDonald 6-2 6-2 in simply over an hour in Miami#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/oyjp0x8Awy
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 28, 2022
The German had success pinning his opponent deep behind the baseline, enabling him to dictate the rallies each on serve and return. He additionally hit 10 aces within the match and received greater than 70 per cent of his service factors.
“A very powerful factor towards Mackenzie is to play deep, that is the primary precedence,” Zverev stated of his ways. “As a result of he is someone that tries to go to the web, tries to play aggressive. So attempt to take that away from him. It labored out properly and I am completely satisfied to be via.”
The 24-year-old has by no means misplaced in three appearances within the Miami third spherical, beforehand reaching the 2018 ultimate and the 2017 quarter-finals.
The German will look to remain excellent within the Miami fourth spherical when he faces as resurgent Thanasi Kokkinakis within the final 16. The Aussie beat one other American in Denis Kudla, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(5), firing 22 aces over the course of two hours, 47 minutes.
Ought to the unseeded Kokkinakis pull off the upset, that outcome would take him to the verge of the High 70 and his career-high ATP Rating of No. 69. The 2022 Australian Open doubles champion, who will flip 26 in April, reached that top mark in 2015 on the age of 19.
After successful his first ATP Tour title in his hometown of Adelaide in January, Kokkinakis is now via to the final 16 as an ATP Masters 1000 occasion for the primary time in additional than seven years, since Indian Wells in 2015.
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