Tennis

Federer beats rising German player Zverev at Italian Open

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:54 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

ROME (AP) Roger Federer put his full array of shots on display in a 6-3, 7-5 win over German player Alexander Zverev in the second round of the Italian Open on Wednesday.

After withdrawing from last week's Madrid Open with lower back pain, Federer looked sharp from the start against the 44th-ranked Zverev, using his backhand slice drop shot especially well.

The 19-year-old Zverev, considered a potential future Grand Slam champion, often found himself running down shots wide in the alleys. At one point, Zverev was pulled so far off the court he ended up in the lap of a line judge - then hugged the official after Federer put away an easy volley.

Federer is attempting to win the clay-court event in Rome for the first time.

share