Dhaka, May 21 -- Alexander Zverev had seven aces and won 31 of 35 first-service points as the German defeated American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Bitpanda Hamburg Open on Monday.
Zverev won the title in Hamburg in 2023 and advanced to the final last year before falling to Frenchman Arthur Fils. He wasn't the only high seed in action Monday, as Russian third seed Andrey Rublev defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina's Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-3.
American seventh seed Brandon Nakashima led his first set 6-5 when Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon had to retire, while Justin Engel edged Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) in a battle between German wild cards. Other winners included Spaniard Roberto Bautista Ag...