Tennis night shift: Zverev turns the matchball at 2:15

Alexander Zverev narrowly avoided defeat in his opening match at the Cincinnati Masters, converting a match point at 2:15 a.m. local time to secure a hard-fought victory over British player Cameron Norrie. The top-seeded German, who reached the Wimbledon final last year, edged past Norrie with scores of 3:6, 6:3, 6:3 in a three-set encounter that stretched well into the early hours of the morning. His win sets up a second-round clash against French qualifier Terence Atmane. The match began with Zverev struggling to find his rhythm, losing the first set 3:6 after failing to capitalize on several key opportunities. However, he quickly adjusted his game plan in the second set, breaking Norrie’s serve twice and holding firm under pressure to take the set 6:3. The third set saw both players trade breaks of serve before Zverev finally clinched the decisive break in the 11th game. He converted the match point with a powerful backhand winner, sealing the victory just after 2:15 a.m. Zverev acknowledged the difficulty of the match following his win. “I had to get into my rhythm,” he said. “The first set wasn’t good. But the second and third sets were at a high level.” His performance came as a relief after an unexpected exit from the previous tournament in Montreal, where he was eliminated in the first round. In contrast to Zverev's resilience, other notable players faced early exits from the competition. Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff lost in the second round to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, falling 3:6, 4:6. Similarly, Yannick Hanfmann was defeated by French player Arthur Fils, losing 6:7 (5:7), 1:6. Both players had been hoping to make deeper runs in the tournament. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came from the world number one, Novak Djokovic. The Serbian star, who has won 24 Grand Slam titles, suffered a shocking loss to Argentine Thiago Agustín Tirante. Djokovic dropped the first set 6:2 but fought back to take the second 4:6. However, he could not recover in the deciding set, losing 4:6 to end his campaign in Cincinnati prematurely. Djokovic’s exit marked a rare setback for the 36-year-old, who has generally performed strongly on hard court surfaces. His loss raised questions about his form heading into the upcoming US Open, where he will be heavily favored to contend for another title. Meanwhile, Zverev’s victory provides him with a crucial confidence boost ahead of the US Open. Having already reached the Wimbledon final, he will look to build on this result as he aims to continue his strong run through the season. His upcoming match against Atmane will test his ability to maintain consistency and avoid late-night fatigue, which nearly cost him the match against Norrie. The early exits of Struff, Hanfmann, and Djokovic highlight the unpredictable nature of the Cincinnati Masters, where even top seeds can struggle against lower-ranked opponents. As the tournament progresses, fans will be watching closely to see how the remaining favorites perform under pressure. For Zverev, the focus will remain on maintaining his momentum and preparing for the challenges ahead.