Roman Safiullin succeeded Alexander Zverev as junior Grand Slam champion in Melbourne six years ago. They are separated by a mere three months in age, but are worlds apart on the ranking charts.
The German is at No.6 while the Russian qualifier is ranked 182. Zverev competes in the crest of competitions, vying for titles and trophies while Safiullin battles on the quicksands of Challengers and qualifying draws, trying to stay alive.
The duo met as juniors, with the lanky Zverev winning all their three outings in straight sets, including one at Roland Garros. Those reverses might’ve sparked the fight for the chase in Safiullin. Zverev, who appeared shaky in part, held his own to score a 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (1) win.
In the third round on Friday, the German will take on Serbian Laslo Djere.
Like in the first round, when he wiped off a two-set deficit against another qualifier Oscar Otte to score a five-set victory, it was grit and grind again for Zverev on Wednesday.
Denne historien er fra June 03, 2021-utgaven av The Times of India Mumbai.
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Denne historien er fra June 03, 2021-utgaven av The Times of India Mumbai.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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