Zverev defeats Thiem in straight sets at Wimbledon warm-up

Fresh from a third consecutive semi-final appearance at the French Open, Zverev dominated Thiem in front of a home crowd to secure progress to the last 16.

Alexander Zverev reacts during his first round tennis match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem. | Photo Credit: AP

Alexander Zverev won his opening match in Halle on Tuesday, defeating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 at the Wimbledon warm-up event.

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Fresh from a third consecutive semi-final appearance at the French Open, Zverev dominated Thiem in front of a home crowd to secure progress to the last 16.

Before the tournament, Zverev publicly doubted his chances on the green grass in the western German city, telling tabloid Bild he was “too tall for the surface.”

The 1.98-metre-tall Zverev however showed fluency and control against Thiem in a re-match of the 2020 US Open final won by the Austrian.

That match remains Olympic champion Zverev’s only Grand Slam final, with the 26-year-old struggling with injuries and form in recent seasons.

Zverev will take on Canadian Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday.