Daniil Medvedev makes early exit in Halle as Alexander Zverev advances

Daniil Medvedev, the Russian third seed who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, faced his first defeat of the grasscourt season at the Halle Open. He lost 6-3 2-6 7-6(5) to Zhang Zhizhen from China in the second round.

Despite a shaky start, Medvedev fought back in the second set with five aces and two breaks against Zhang.

However, his double faults in the third set cost him dearly as Zhang, ranked 42nd, won the tiebreak to secure his first victory over a top-five ranked player on grass.

Zhang expressed his satisfaction with the win, highlighting it as a moment of revenge. In the quarterfinals, Zhang will play against Christopher Eubanks, who defeated defending champion Alexander Bublik.

Meanwhile, German player Alexander Zverev, the world number four, triumphed over Lorenzo Sonego from Italy to advance to the last eight.

Zverev expressed his happiness with his performance and enjoyment of playing on the beautiful courts. He will face Frenchman Arthur Fils in the next round, who beat Dominik Koepfer in straight sets.