Miami, March 22 – Indian Wells semi-finalist Zverev easily defeated Damm to kick off his Miami campaign. The German had a straightforward match, winning against wildcard Martin Damm 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday (IST).
This victory further strengthened Zverev's impressive record at the ATP Masters 1000 level this decade, bringing his total to 103 wins. It also extended his dominant run against players ranked outside the Top 100 and highlighted his consistency against left-handed opponents in recent seasons.
Zverev, who now has 20 match wins in Miami, will next face experienced campaigner Marin Cilic. The Croatian advanced after narrowly defeating Brandon Nakashima in a closely contested three-set match, saving a match point on his way to victory.
Meanwhile, Alexander Shevchenko produced a spirited comeback to defeat home favourite Ben Shelton, while third seed Alexander Zverev comfortably progressed to the third round of the Miami Open on Sunday.
Shevchenko rallied from a set down to win 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-3 against Shelton in a late-night second-round clash, handing the American another early exit at one of the biggest tournaments in his home state of Florida.
This win marked the World No. 84's third career victory over a Top 10 opponent and helped him advance to the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the fourth time.
The Kazakhstani nearly lost the second set but increased his level in the tie-break to force a decider. He then played aggressive tennis in the third set, securing an early decisive break to put pressure on Shelton.
Despite Shelton's strong serving early on, he faltered later as Shevchenko dominated and controlled the rallies. Shevchenko, showing calm under pressure, lost only one point in his last two service games to win stylishly. With this result, Shevchenko advances on the ATP Tour to face Ugo Humbert, who won in straight sets over Gabriel Diallo earlier.