Alexander Zverev overcame a difficult start to defeat Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the Cincinnati Open, avoiding another early exit at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
The match began on Saturday night and continued into the early hours of Sunday, with Zverev eventually completing the comeback in two hours and 35 minutes.
The German dropped the opening set but gradually found his rhythm and took control in the second and third sets. Zverev admitted he had struggled for consistency during his recent run in Canada, but said his preparation in Cincinnati had helped him rediscover his level.
“I needed to find my match rhythm,” Zverev said, explaining that his performance improved significantly after the opening set. The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings described his level in the final two sets as “really high”.
The victory also extended Zverev's perfect record against Norrie. He now leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 8-0, maintaining a remarkable unbeaten run against the British left-hander.
Zverev will now turn his attention to a potential title run in Cincinnati, where he is targeting a second championship at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The German won the tournament in 2021 and has collected seven Masters 1000 titles throughout his career. However, he has not lifted a trophy at this level since winning the Rolex Paris Masters in 2024.
The reigning 2026 Roland Garros champion will face Terence Atmane in the third round. Atmane reached the Cincinnati semi-finals last year and continued his impressive run this week by beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 7-6(4).
There were also several tense encounters elsewhere in the Cincinnati draw.
Fifth seed Alex de Minaur recovered from a poor opening set to beat Quentin Halys 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). The Australian will next meet Arthur Fery, who defeated James Duckworth 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4).
Jakub Mensik also survived a three-set battle, edging Mattia Bellucci 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5). His next opponent will be wildcard Rinky Hijikata, who produced a strong performance to beat 19th seed Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-2.
The tournament's younger generation also continued to make an impression. Martin Landaluce defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while Arthur Fils overcame Yannick Hanfmann to set up a third-round meeting with Jiri Lehecka.
Lehecka booked his place in the next round by beating Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3.
With several seeds already facing difficult tests, Zverev's comeback has kept his Cincinnati campaign firmly on track. After finally finding his best level against Norrie, the German will now look to carry that momentum into his meeting with Atmane.
