19:26
Wolf – Zverev 4: 6, 0: 1
He uses the second! Wolf returns with the forehand into the mesh and makes the next mistake.
19:24
Wolf – Zverev 4: 6, 0: 0
Zverev creates two early break chances against an opponent who seems unfocused!
19:22
Wolf – Zverev 4: 6, 0: 0
The game continues about eight minutes after the last point! Wolf serves, but of course the concentration has suffered from the interruption.
19:21
Wolf – Zverev 4: 6, 0: 0
The lines will be cleaned again, an attempt should still be made.
19:21
Wolf – Zverev 4: 6, 0: 0
Waiting a bit to see how the weather situation develops.
19:18
sentence conclusion
Alexander Zverev showed an impressive first set, had everything under control from his own serve and also brought through five aces. He got the early break through the set and had more break chances in later return games. All in all, it is a very focused performance by the Hamburger. However, he would still prefer not to continue playing. The reason is the rain that started in the middle of the sentence. “I was seriously injured at first,” Zverev explained to the umpire.
19:14
Wolf – Zverev 4: 6
Zverev makes the game and the sentence clear with a service winner!
19:12
Wolf – Zverev 4: 5
Zverev lets himself be taken by surprise by a deep ball on the baseline and a longliner against the running direction. It says 30 both.
19:09
Wolf – Zverev 4: 5
The lines are once again freed from the sand and made visible. Zverev asks the umpire how long the game should be played in the rain. The referee replies that they played all day last week in even heavier rain.
19:07
Wolf – Zverev 4: 5
Too bad, with two backhand longliners, Zverev wants too much and goes to the ball too early. Wolf keeps the game, but Zverev now has the opportunity to decide the sentence from his own serve.
19:06
Wolf – Zverev 3: 5
Wolf benefits from a treacherous net roller that even Usain Bolt could not have achieved. And yet Zverev has the chance to break the set!
19:04
Wolf – Zverev 3: 5
Zverev does a lot of running work. It seems as if he wants to close the sack over the first sentence early on. With great shifts he earns the position for the longline winner in a rally over 20 strokes!
18:59
Wolf – Zverev 3: 5
Zverev is now serving with new balls. He does that well, a strong game opening is his strength anyway. Wolf dives after an ace through the middle, almost clumsily, then the German also hits an ace diagonally. It almost seems as if the Zverev from the old days is back!
18:56
Wolf – Zverev 3: 4
Zverev slipped the felt ball twice over the stringing, then he let himself be taken by surprise by a longline winner against the running direction and the first stop ever in this match. Too bad, it felt like there could have been more in this return game as well.
18:54
Wolf – Zverev 2: 4
Zverev also made the first double mistake in the match, but he did not give up more points. Confident service game.
18:53
Wolf – Zverev 2: 3
For now, the match goes on. Zverev brings through another ace and doesn’t seem to want to let anything burn in this service game.
18:51
Wolf – Zverev 2: 3
The umpire responds and radios for four large towels for the players. Umbrellas are stretched out in the tiers.
18:51
Wolf – Zverev 2: 3
This is not good news: it has started to rain in Rome. It’s still drizzling lightly.
18:49
Wolf – Zverev 2: 3
Even in a long rally, Zverev is missing millimeters, the ball lands a hair’s breadth behind the baseline, the game goes to Wolf.
18:48
Wolf – Zverev 1: 3
Oh pity! Zverev actually gets the ball played right on the forehand, but then makes the mistake of concentrating. The next point also goes to Wolf, in this return game there doesn’t seem to be much to gain for the Hamburger.
18:46
Wolf – Zverev 1: 3
Zverev turns the service game! He is also a little lucky that Wolf misses twice from a promising position. The German finally gets the decisive point with an ace.
18:45
Wolf – Zverev 1: 2
Zverev then places the next crossball exactly on the line. You have to play it like this when the score is 0:30!
18:45
Wolf – Zverev 1: 2
And even a forehand return slips well over the racket. Just don’t get the rebreak now.
18:43
Wolf – Zverev 1: 2
Zverev takes a cross ball too early and thus falls behind in his own service game.
18:42
Wolf – Zverev 1: 2
Music is playing in the background, especially Africa by Toto. There should be players who let something like that upset them.
18:39
Wolf – Zverev 1: 2
Wolf, who by the way plays with a nose plaster, increases the impact pressure. Zverev still has the chance to find his way back into the game, but puts the longliner just next to the line.
18:37
Wolf – Zverev 0: 2
Zverev wins his first service game with zero! The Olympic champion has made an excellent impression so far.
18:36
Wolf 0-1 Zverev
But such a first serve in the match at 218 km/h is definitely something to be proud of. Zverev also gets through the second point quite effortlessly.
18:35
Wolf 0-1 Zverev
Now it’s important not to show nerves in your own service game. After all, there must have been a reason why Zverev wanted to return first.
18:34
Wolf 0-1 Zverev
What a beautiful shift! Zverev manages to let Wolf dive from one corner to the other and then brings through the cross winner. This is the early break!
18:32
Wolf 0-0 Zverev
Zverev actually works out the early break chance! Born in Hamburg, he seems very focused.
18:31
Wolf 0-0 Zverev
Zverev can claim the next two points and thus takes a 30:15 lead in the return game. Promising start!
18:30
Wolf 0-0 Zverev
Zverev waits far behind the baseline and thus makes it into a first long rally. It looks good for a long time, but then it backfires.
18:26
The players are here!
Players line up for a coin toss at umpire Carlos Bernardes. Alexander Zverev can decide and will return first.
17:36
Medvedev is waiting in the round of 16
In the meantime, the round of 16 opponent has already been determined. Zverev or Wolf would face Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16. Most recently, Zverev and Medvedev met in Monte Carlo, the Russian kept the better end for himself in three sets.
17:25
The place is still occupied
The game will be played at the legendary Stadio Pietrangeli. Actually, this is only the third place in Rome, but due to its location in the middle of a green area and marble statues, it is the most popular among many players. At the moment there is still a women’s match between Jeļena Ostapenko and Daria Kasatkina.
17:17
JJ Wolf defeated Hurkacz yesterday
The American had never won a main round match on European clay before, but prevailed in Rome with back-to-back two-set victories against Hugo Grenier and Hubert Hurkacz. Wolf is currently in 54th place in the world rankings.
17:09
Only world ranking 22 for Zverev
In any case, Zverev is not yet one of the absolute top after his long injury break. This was particularly evident in Madrid, when he just won three games against Carlos Alcaraz and was dealt with in just under an hour and a half. In Munich it had previously lost 2-0 against the world number 78. Christopher O’Connell set. “It’s still the case that unfortunately I play a completely different level in the match than in training,” Zverev said a little contritely yesterday.
16:59
Zverev with fluctuations
Mixed – that’s the best way to describe Alexander Zverev’s last few weeks and months. Yesterday’s match against David Goffin was emblematic of these swings in form. After losing a set early on, the native of Hamburg was able to turn the match around and ultimately prevailed in an exhausting two and a half hours.
16:34
Nice afternoon!
Have a nice afternoon and welcome to the tennis live ticker. The match between Alexander Zverev and the American Jeffrey Wolf is not reported here before 5 p.m.