Wimbledon 2023: Alexander Zverev overcomes stern test to reach round 2, Stan Wawrinka reaches 3rd round

By India Today Sports Desk: In a hard-fought contest at Wimbledon, Germany’s Alexander Zverev overcame Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer, firing an impressive 20 aces to secure a 6-4, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) victory and advance to the tournament’s second round.

Zverev, the 19th seed, faced a tough challenge against the determined world number 153. Both players displayed exceptional serving prowess, with their first serve percentages matching throughout the match. Zverev managed to earn just two break opportunities in the first two sets.

The 26-year-old German seized an important break at 3-3 in the opening set, subsequently serving it out. Both players held serve until Brouwer, crafted two set points at 6-5. However, Zverev impressively saved both set points, forcing a tiebreak which he won with yet another booming ace.

The third set saw both players comfortably holding serve, leading to yet another tiebreak. Zverev, demonstrating his serving prowess once again, unleashed his 20th ace of the match to seal victory on his third match point.

Zverev now faces Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki, currently ranked 116th in the world.

Wimbledon 2023 day 4 Live Updates

Wawrinka sets up 3rd round clash with Djokovic

Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years to set up a clash with Novak Djokovic in the third round of Wimbledon after upsetting the 29th seed Tomás Mart­n Etcheverry.

The Swiss star would win the first set of the match comfortably with a score of 6-2, before he ended dropping the second set to the Argentine, who is 15 years younger to him. Wawrinka would then bounce back and win the next two sets with ease as he progressed to the next round with a scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

With the win, the 38-year-old has reached the third round of a grand slam in three years. Wimbledon has never been a happy hunting ground for the Swiss star as he has only had two quarterfinal runs in his career at the Grand Slam and this was the first time he reached the third round since 2015.