Daniel Altmaier shocked top-seeded Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, defeating him in a battle of German players to advance to the second round of the Mexican Open. The 27-year-old Altmaier, the world’s 57th rated player, defeated his countryman for the first time in three tries in 2:26 hours and will face Miomir Kecmanovic.
Zverev, ranked sixth on the ATP, ended his seven-match winning streak against German players. His previous loss came in 2019 versus Dustin Brown in Stuttgart. Earlier, second-seeded Holger Rune defeated American Michael Mmoh 6-2, 6-3 and advanced to the second round.
Rune, rated sixth in the ATP, required 92 minutes to beat Mmoh, who advanced to the main draw via the qualification round. The 20-year-old Rune from Denmark advanced to the semifinals in Acapulco last year and now faces Aleksandar Kovacevic, who defeated Jordan Thompson 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Also read: Nicolas Jarry upsets Carlos Alcaraz to reach Argentina Open final
Earlier, fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round, where he will face Flavio Cobolli.
The 25-year-old Greek advanced to the semifinals last week in Los Cabos, Mexico, and is attempting to win his first career 500 tournament.
On Tuesday, Frances Tiafoe, seeded seventh, rebounded to defeat Max Purcell 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. He went on to face Dominik Koepfer, who defeated Terence Atmane 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. Tiafoe is the highest-ranked American player remaining in the tournament after fourth-seeded Taylor Fritz and seventh-seeded Tommy Paul were eliminated on Monday. Also read: Zhu Lin Net Worth 2023, Annual Income, Endorsements, Cars, Houses, Properties, Charities, Etc.
In another match, Casper Ruud defeated Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 and advanced to the second round. Ruud will take on Dusan Lajovic, who defeated local Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez 6-2, 6-2.