Erste Bank Open

Schwärzler against Zverev from 6 pm LIVE

Joel Schwärzler(Bild: GEPA)

The premiere on the Vienna Center Court lasted just 68 minutes for young talent Joel Schwärzler (18): The Vorarlberg native put in a spirited performance at his second ATP tournament, repeatedly impressing with some impressive winners, but ultimately had no chance against the German world number three Alexander Zverev.

He was presented to the sounds of Reinhard Fendrich's classic "I am from Austria" and later celebrated every point by the thousands of fans in the hall - Joel Schwärzler enjoyed the atmosphere in the Wiener Stadthalle, showed no sign of nervousness at the start and captivated the fans early on with his fast, courageous and aggressive game. His forehand was on target and his first serve consistently hit the court at over 200 km/h. Even Alexander Zverev was amazed.

(Bild: GEPA)

Alexander Zverev was also amazed. The two had already played against each other on Friday as part of the Red Bull BassLine show event, after which the German had praised: "He's an incredible player who is on his way up." After yesterday's match, he renewed his praise: "He's a super talent, a great player - he's going to have a great career and is already much closer than he might think after the match." 

Zverev clearly had the upper hand from 2:1
Yesterday, Zverev was still a size too big for Schwärzler - after an even start, the 27-year-old showed that he is not the current number three in the world for nothing. The German adapted to the Vorarlberg player's game after around a quarter of an hour, capitalizing on his first break chance at 1:1 after 40:0 from the local hero's point of view.

As a result, the match quickly began to run on a slippery slope. Schwärzler repeatedly flashed his great class and produced some impressive winners, but the former number two in the junior world rankings was unable to keep up with Zverev's power and precision on this evening. After just under half an hour, the first set was already history - 2:6.

Zverev also confident in set two
In the second set, the player from Vorarlberg repeatedly hit winners, especially with his quick forehand - but there was no way around Zverev in terms of consistency. After another early break to make it 2:1, the 2021 Olympic champion was not to be deterred, added a second to make it 4:1 and converted his fourth match point after 68 minutes of play to advance to the second round.

(Bild: GEPA)

Schwärzler, who won his first Challenger title in Skopje in May in his first season on the tour and is currently ranked 348th in the world, also finished his second ATP tournament after the one in Kitzbühel without a win. Zverev, on the other hand, is chasing his second Vienna title since 2021 this year and will face an American in round two: Alex Michelsen or Marcos Giron. "Vienna is one of my favorite tournaments on the tour - I love the city, love the stadium, love the crowd," said Zverev yesterday, sending a message of love to the Erste Bank Open.