Alexander Zverev reaches Cincinnati Masters round of 16 with two tiebreak wins over Terence Atmane

Round of 16 qualification in Cincinnati

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev has earned a place in the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Masters following a hard-fought straight-sets win over France's Terence Atmane. The 29-year-old German player, entering the tournament as the number one seed after reaching the Wimbledon final earlier in the season, prevailed with a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) result. Neither player managed to pull away cleanly during regulation play in either set, forcing both sets to be decided in tiebreaks. The victory confirms Zverev's progression in the tournament draw, setting up an encounter in the round of 16 against either American Tommy Paul or Paraguayan competitor Adolfo Vallejo.

First set recovery and on-court collision

Atmane took early command of the match, racing to a 3-0 advantage in the opening set before Zverev secured his first service hold and established his baseline rhythm. Zverev fought back to draw level, but Atmane maintained pressure by edging ahead twice more at 4-3 and 5-4. During the early exchanges, a shot from Zverev struck Atmane at close range, creating an immediate pause in play. Zverev offered an apology on the spot, while Atmane smiled at his tucked arm and continued competing without taking an injury timeout. Zverev then controlled the first-set tiebreak to win it 7-4, before microphones caught him addressing the incident again during the post-match handshake.

Sorry for the hit.

Second set battle and baseline control

The second set opened with immediate pressure on Zverev's serve, as Atmane created a quick break opportunity. Zverev defended the break point successfully and stabilized his baseline game, finding greater consistency throughout his service games. However, Zverev was unable to generate a service break of his own against the French opponent, keeping the scoreline level across twelve consecutive games. The set ultimately required a second tiebreak, where Zverev held his nerve to close out the decider 8-6 and secure the match without dropping a set.

Preparations and recent hardcourt form

Zverev's testing match against Atmane continues a challenging run of fixtures during his North American hardcourt campaign. In his Cincinnati tournament opener, the German lost the first set to Britain's Cameron Norrie before mounting a comeback to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. That opening victory followed a surprising early exit at the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, where Zverev stumbled in the second round against Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. The ongoing tournament in Cincinnati represents the final dress rehearsal for Zverev ahead of the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, which begins in New York on 30 August.