French Open champion Alexander Zverev conserved energy on Thursday when he beat Valentin Royer 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
Second seed Zverev won over 75th-ranked Frenchman Royer on centre court in 2 hours 4 minutes and next faces American Marcos Giron.
Zverev was in full control early on, winning nine games in a row to go a set and 3-0 up. He squandered a 4-2 lead in the third set but eventually crossed the line in straight sets in the tie-break.
“For two and a half sets I played an almost perfect match,” Zverev said on court.
"Then I lost a bit of focus and he used it very well. He made it very interesting in the end, but definitely happy to be through in straight sets and not have to play another set, even though I love to play here at Wimbledon!
"It’s nice to win easier at the beginning of the week.”
Zverev said that at age 29 he needs to conserve energy while winning in straight sets is also good for the confidence.
Zverev has reached the final at the other three grand slams, and won his first major in Paris last month, but the German has never gone beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon.
