WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Zverev took advantage of late errors by Jordan Thompson during a third-set tiebreaker to advance to the third round of the Citi Open.
Leading 5-4 in the tiebreaker, Thompson put a routine backhand into the net and then double-faulted. The eighth-ranked Zverev put away the match with a cross-court forehand that the 75th-ranked Australian couldn’t handle, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday.
Zverev, a 20-year-old German, is a winner of three titles this year, two of them on clay.
“I’m just happy to get through that one. Seven to six in the third is always something very nice,” Zverev said. “You feel good about yourself. Hopefully I can do it better the next match.”
Tenth-ranked Milos Raonic of Canada, who beat Zverev in the fourth round of Wimbledon this year, also advanced, defeating Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (2), 7-6 (8). Raonic, the 2014 Citi Open champion, next faces veteran Marcos Baghdatis. They haven’t played each other in five years.
The Citi Open is a hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 28.
On the women’s side, Oceane Dodin beat Sara Errani 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
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