Zverev Defeats Moutet in His First Match in Stuttgart

Zverev faced Moutet in the second round of the Stuttgart tournament. The two players had never met before on the tour.
While the first set was clearly dominated by the German, the second was far from a walk in the park for the world No. 3. Troubled by the Frenchman's creativity and clever variations, Zverev had to dig deep in a tie-break to overcome his opponent.
His powerful serve and precise backhand, which had been a reliable weapon in the first set, were less effective afterward. After a fiercely contested tie-break and a saved set point (9-7), Zverev secured his victory against the world No. 91 in one hour and 50 minutes.
As the top seed, the German received a first-round bye. He will next face the winner of the all-American clash between Nakashima and Tien. His best performance on grass at a major tournament remains a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon in 2024.