Alexander Zverev won the clash of the two most recent Olympic gold medallists at the ATP Indian Wells on Tuesday, holding off a fierce chal...
Alexander Zverev won the clash of the two most recent Olympic gold medallists at the ATP Indian Wells on Tuesday, holding off a fierce challenge from Andy Murray despite an equipment malfunction.
The 24-year-old German advanced to the fourth round, coming from behind in both sets to beat two time Olympic gold medal winner Murray 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in the combined women’s and men’s tennis tournament in the California desert.
Zverev won the Olympic gold medal at the recent Tokyo Games and former world No. 1 Murray won gold at both the 2012 London Olympics and in 2016 in Rio. Third-seeded Zverev will next face Gael Monfils of France.
Murray tossed his racquet several times Tuesday after missing easy shots. The outbursts were in contrast to Zverev who maintained his concentration in the seventh game of the second set when he had a shoe malfunction.
With the match tied 3-3, Zverev busted a lace on his left shoe running down a ball. He continued to play with the wobbly shoe but then had to take an extra long break between games so he could swap out the laces. Murray seized the opportunity for a bathroom break.
Zverev then won three of the next five games which set up the tiebreaker....
