Four years on from defeating Nicolas Jarry to win the title, Alexander Zverev (ATP 27) made a winning return to the Court Central at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, beating the USA’s Christopher Eubanks (ATP 75) 6-2 6-3.
In what he described as an excellent match, the Olympic champion did not take long to find his bearings against an opponent who can pack a real punch, producing a high-quality performance. Seemingly on his way to regaining his very best form, the German should be in the mix for the title with the likes of Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Grigor Dimitrov.
Zverev will now face Yibing Wu (ATP 59), victorious today against Marco Cecchinato (ATP 73), in the quarter-finals on Thursday. It promises to be quite a match, with the Chinese player, who saved a match point against Marc-Andrea Hüsler on Monday evening, playing a unique brand of tennis, much like Eubanks, and looking to win points fast more often than not. Zverev knows what he has to do: return well and mix it up and that way remind his opponent how clay court tennis is governed by its own specific laws.