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Alexander Zverev
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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Tennis Olympic champion Alexander Zverev was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open.
The 25-year-old lost his match against the American Michael Mmoh 7: 6 (7: 1), 4: 6, 3: 6, 2: 6 and thus missed the third round of the Grand Slam for the first time since his debut in 2016. Tournament at Melbourne Park.
Seven and a half months after his serious foot injury in the French Open semifinals, the Hamburger was far from his top form.
Just like in his arduous five-set win at the start against the Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas, Zverev showed a very changeable performance in the Margaret Court Arena.
After a strong start, he lost his rhythm and built up his initially nervous opponent with mistakes.
The Australian Open semi-finalist from 2020 didn't seem up to it physically either, repeatedly touching his rear thigh on the top left.
Sometimes he looked towards his box for help.
It is the first time that Zverev has lost to a lucky loser in a Grand Slam tournament.
The world number 109.
Mmoh, who only got a place in the main draw after the cancellation of another player, meets the American JJ Wolf in the third round, who defeated the Argentinian Diego Schwartzman in three straight sets.
Laura Siegemund, on the other hand, is in the third round for the second time in her career.
The 34-year-old fought her way through the number 27 seeded Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 5: 7, 7: 5, 6: 3.
The last remaining German participant in the tournament now meets Caroline Garcia (France/No. 4).
Siegemund had only been able to play her first round match the day before after weather-related postponements and celebrated her first victory at Grand Slam level since reaching the quarter-finals in Paris 2020 with a three-set win against Lucia Bronzetti.
In Melbourne, she had already reached the third round in 2016.
It was a hard-fought match against Begu from the start.
In the first round, Siegemund served to win the set at a score of 5:4, but had the service taken away from him.
But her fighting spirit was not broken, she earned the third round, in which she quickly pulled away.
ara/dpa