Alexander Zverev is into the second round of the Australian Open after a hard-fought win against Gabriel Diallo.
Zverev is the third seed at the Australian Open, but was given a big scare in his 6-7(1-7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Diallo.
The 28-year-old German will now take on the winner of Alexei Popyrin and Alexandre Muller in the third round of the Grand Slam.
World number three Zverev reached the final of the Australian Open in 2025, which he lost 3-6, 6-7(4-7), 3-6 to Jannik Sinner.
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Alexander Zverev reaches 10th successive Australian Open second round
Zverev is chasing his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne, having also lost the finals of the 2020 US Open and the 2024 French Open.
But he can take confidence from his latest win, which has helped him become the first player to reach the Australian Open men’s singles second round in each of the last 10 seasons.
That is according to OptaAce, with his ATP Tour rival Karen Khachanov, who takes on Alex Michelsen, also able to achieve the feat.
Alexander Zverev’s tricky route to the Australian Open final
Zverev made his main draw debut at the Australian Open back in 2016, where the German fell in the first round.
Since then, however, he has enjoyed a superb run at the hard-court Grand Slam, although success has thus far eluded him.
Along with last year’s runner-up finish, he’s also reached the semifinals twice and the quarterfinals on one occasion.
Who has the most difficult Australian Open draw?
Should he make it past the second round once more, British hopeful Cameron Norrie could be his round three opponent.
Zverev could then face Andrey Rublev in the round of 16, with Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime among his potential quarterfinal opponents.
Carlos Alcaraz represents his most likely semifinal match-up, with either Sinner or Novak Djokovic potentially awaiting in the final.
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