Australia, Jan 18 : World number three Alexander Zverev began his Australian Open 2026 campaign with a resilient performance, overcoming Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in four sets to advance to the second round on Sunday.
The German star bounced back after losing a tight opening-set tiebreak to seal a 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory at Rod Laver Arena, asserting control through his powerful serve and consistent baseline play.
Diallo matched Zverev early on, forcing errors and pushing the opening set into a tiebreak, which the Canadian clinched to briefly unsettle the former Grand Slam finalist. However, Zverev responded strongly in the second set, raising his intensity and dominating proceedings to level the match, conceding just one game.
The third set proved more competitive, with Diallo attempting to regain momentum, but Zverev’s experience told at key moments as he converted crucial break points to take the set 6-4. From there, the German tightened his grip on the contest.
Zverev closed out the match in clinical fashion in the fourth set, breaking Diallo twice to seal the win. He finished with 15 aces, won 74 per cent of points on his first serve and converted six of eight break-point opportunities, underlining his efficiency under pressure.
With this victory, Zverev became the first player to reach the second round in each of the last ten Australian Open tournaments. The 28 year old, still in pursuit of his maiden Grand Slam title, will look to build momentum as the tournament progresses.