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Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, who are good friends off the court, did their trademark handshake after their first-round clash at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
The two were drawn together in the opening round of the tournament after Thiem's initial opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime, withdrew. Zverev did well to win the match 6-3, 6-4 and book his place in the second round of the Halle Open.
After the match, the two completed their signature post-match handshake before embracing.
Zverev and Thiem have often done the very same handshake after their matches, including their US Open final meeting in 2020. Thiem won the first Grand Slam singles event of his career by defeating Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
The recent encounter was Zverev's fourth win (from 12 matches) against Thiem.
Alexander Zverev will take on Denis Shapovalov in the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open
After defeating Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev will take on Denis Shapovalov in the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle. The Canadian booked his place in the Round of 16 with a 7-6(1), 6-4 win over Lloyd Harris.
Zverev and Shapovalov will lock horns for the eighth time. It will be their very first meeting on grass. The last encounter between the two came in the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open, with Shapovalov winning 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3. The winner will face either second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Nicolas Jarry in the quarterfinals.
Alexander Zverev got off to a disappointing start in 2023 but he is gradually finding his rhythm and is on course for a resurgence after his long injury layoff last year.
The 26-year-old German's most notable performance so far has been reaching the semifinals of the French Open. He beat Lloyd Harris, Alex Molcan, Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov, and Tomas Martin Etcheverry before being thrashed 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 by Casper Ruud.
Zverev also made it to the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Geneva Open. After a good run at Roland Garros, the 26-year-old will be eager to get off to a strong start at the grasscourt season, starting from the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
The German is a two-time runner-up at the ATP 500 tournament and it will be interesting to see how he fares this time. After the Terra Wortmann Open, Zverev is scheduled to compete at the Wimbledon Championships. His best performance so far at the grasscourt Major is reaching the fourth round in 2017 and 2021.
