Alexander Zverev has already failed his opening opponent at the last Masters tournament of the season in Paris.
The 20-year-old native of Hamburg was defeated by the Dutchman Robin Haase in the second round after a somewhat unconcentrated and torn performance 6:3,2:6,2:6,2:6. Especially in the third set, the German top player seemed to be almost listless.
Despite his early defeat at his first appearance ever in Bercy, Zverev has a good chance of becoming the third German after Boris Becker, Michael Stich and Tommy Haas to be ranked in the top three of the world ranking next week. In a semi-final draw, Zverev would have been the new third place in the ATP ranking, and now the world ranked fourth place winner must hope that his rivals Marin Cilic (Croatia), Dominic Thiem (Austria) and Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) will not win the title.
Against Haase, whom he had defeated in five sets in the first round of the Australian Open, Zverev had to fight off four break points in the first game. From the second round onwards, Zverev’s shortcomings increased sharply, and after 1:34 hours, Haase, ten years his senior, was well deserved to win.
Zverev created a curious scene when he opened his shoelaces to Brazilian chair referee Carlos Bernardes before the first rally. The experienced impartial reacted calmly, for Zverev the action remained without consequence.
The other three Germans had already left the Palais Omnisports early on. Mischa Zverev (Hamburg) and Jan-Lennard Struff (Warstein) had lost in round one, Munich’s Peter Gojowczyk had just failed in the second round at the sixth ranked Thiem.