New Delhi, April 15 (H.S.): World No. 3 Alexander Zverev had a remarkable start at the Munich Open 2025, defeating France's Alexandre Muller in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 in the first round.

After losing to Italy's Matteo Berrettini at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, Zverev had the chance to become World No. 1, but that loss affected his ranking. Additionally, Carlos Alcaraz's title victory pushed Zverev down by one spot. With this win in Munich, he has redirected his preparations for the French Open.

**Showcased Dominance in the Second Set, Won the Match in 1 Hour and 20 Minutes**

Zverev took the lead by breaking in the very first game, although Muller made a comeback at 3-3. Zverev then took the first set in 47 minutes. In the second set, Zverev found his rhythm, breaking serve three times, and secured the match in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

After losing to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Australian Open 2025, Zverev played in six tournaments but failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals in any of them. Since winning titles in 2017 and 2018 in Munich, he has not advanced beyond the last eight. He will now face Daniel Altmaier or Taiwan’s Tseng Chun-Hsin in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, the tournament's second seed and World No. 15 Ben Shelton faced a tough battle against Borna Gojo. After being a set down, Shelton saved three match points to win 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3). The match lasted for 2 hours and 24 minutes.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar