Zverev resists and Schwartzman prays

Schwartzman and Zverev greet each other at the end of the game.PAUL CHILDS / Reuters

Electrical and emergency tournament, the Masters forces you to live on the wire unless inspiration and fortune are immediate, in the case of Dominic Thiem, not Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman.

The German and the Argentine, beaten on the first day of the Group Tokyo 1970 (in honor of the first edition), crossed this Wednesday without margin of error and the one who came out graceful was the first, winner (6-3, 4-6 and 6-3) and still with options to qualify for the semifinals.

The Argentine, meanwhile, remains on the edge of the precipice, with a foot and a half out: if tonight Daniil Medvedev beats Novak Djokovic in the second game of the day, he will be eliminated;

and, if, on the contrary, the Russian falls, El Peque will have to beat Nole on Friday and do the math.

The German, crowned two years ago at the O2, took air in an afternoon in which both started in the wrong way.

Considering what was seen, it seemed that neither one nor the other had the desire to win, erratic and without rhythm.

Zverev yielded the service first, but Schwartzman returned the courtesy twice and delivered it twice, until tired of rejecting him the giant decided to accept the present.

"I have given him the set ... I'm giving it to him," the Buenos Aires man reproached himself in the direction of his bench, from where Juan Ignacio Chela tried to lift his spirits, probably with more desire than conviction, because things had become very ugly for him. your player.

Less stiff, Schwartzman got the guerrilla soul that characterizes him and he held on to the duel as best he could, also benefiting from the intermittence of the German, advised by David Ferrer since June.

But Sascha's slump and Peque's revival was followed by the rebound of Hamburg's, once again upright and determined, proud enough to hook up with the Masters at a time when several extra-sports problems are taking its toll.

However, he won and continuity will be played on Friday against Djokovic, who at 9:00 pm jumps onto the court to face Medvedev.