Zverev returns home as top seed in Cologne
ALEXANDER Zverev will return to Germany in a brand new ATP Tour tournament, the bett1HULKS Indoors which is a ATP 250 event. Zverev is one of only two Germans in the automatic entries – Jan-Lennard Struff is the other – with the pair among six top 30 players entering the hard court event.
Zverev should be strong favourite for the event, not only back on his preferred hard court after coming within a whisker of winning the US Open, but in his home nation as well. The world number seven is in hot form on the hard court, leading two sets to love against Dominic Thiem at Flushing Meadows, only to go down in a heartbreaking fifth set tiebreaker. It was much better than his three-set loss to Andy Murray in the Cincinnatti Masters the tournament prior, whilst the German made it to the fourth round at Roland Garros.
Stuff was in solid form in both the Masters and US Open, reaching the quarter final and third round respectively before running into Novak Djokovic both times. He did knock off top 15 players, David Goffin and Denis Shapovalov in Cincinnati, but has since had two first round exits at Rome and Hamburg, before suffering a shock straight sets loss to compatriot and qualifier, Daniel Altmaier at Roland Garros.
Returning from the clay is the ever-reliable Roberto Bautista Agut who reached a quarter final in Hamburg before going down to eventual winner, Andrey Rublev. He also reached a third round at the US Open and semi-final at Cincinnati, with the latter seeing him knock off Russian duo, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov before losing to Djokovic in three sets.
Benoit Paire returns to the hard court after a positive COVID-19 test, but his form prior to that has been nothing short of shocking with only one win at Roland Garros, three straight first round losses in the past month. He still looms as a top four seed at the event, with Canadian young gun, Felix Auger-Aliassime the other major seed. His form has been just as bad with a second round exit at the French Open and in Hamburg, as well as a first round exit in Rome – to Filip Krajinovic who is also at Cologne. However his last hard court event at Flushing Meadows saw him reach the fourth round, defeating Andy Murray along the way before losing to eventual winner Thiem in the fourth round.
You can never discount the likes of Krajinovic or even Australian John Millman on the hard courts, with Marton Fucsovics in good form, and Murray always a danger. All in all, the field in Cologne trails off after the top half a dozen, with Zverev and Bautista Agut the clear standouts and favourites for the event.
Zverev cleans up back-to-back titles in Cologne
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Zverev on track for Cologne double
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Evans takes down Khachanov in huge upset to keep British three-peat alive in Antwerp
IT was a mix of styles in both Cologne and Antwerp as the German tournament went largely to plan, whilst a huge upset headlined the Belgian event. Top seed and tournament favourite Alexander Zverev is within reach of completing the Cologne double having taken out the indoors tournament last week and now into the semi-finals […]
Four seeds proceed to Antwerp and Cologne quarter finals
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Seeds continue form at Cologne, three Spaniards fall at Antwerp
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Bergs stuns Ramos-Vinolas in first tour level match
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Rested Schwartzman returns to Cologne
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Zverev downs Auger-Aliassime in Cologne
ALEXANDER Zverev has added another piece of silverware to his collection with his maiden 2020 title victory at the ATP 250 tournament in Cologne, Germany, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-3 on home soil. The German top seed – ranked seventh in the world – who now holds a 3-0 winning record against the 20-year-old Canadian, […]
