Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev—two former champions at the Bitpanda Hamburg Open—made emphatic starts to their 2025 campaigns on Monday, each earning straight-sets victories at the ATP 500 clay-court tournament.
Zverev, the top seed and hometown favorite, looked in control for most of his opener against American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic, securing a 6-1, 7-6(5) win. The 2023 champion and 2024 runner-up struck 24 winners to just 12 unforced errors and overcame a lapse in the second set, where he let a 4-1 lead slip.
“It was good. Especially the first set and a half was almost perfect,” said Zverev. “In the second set he started playing extremely aggressively and hitting the ball hard. I lost control of some rallies, so credit to him. I’m happy to get the win.”
With the victory, Zverev improved his record to 13 wins in his past 15 matches in Hamburg. He will next face Alexandre Muller, who defeated Elias Ymer 6-3, 7-5. Zverev leads their head-to-head 2-0, with a recent win over Muller at the ATP 500 in Munich.
Earlier in the day, Rublev, the 2020 champion, brushed aside Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-3 behind a dominant serving performance—winning 83% of points behind his first serve. The 27-year-old is looking to regain form after a tough stretch on European clay, where he’s posted just three wins in his past 11 matches since lifting the title in Doha earlier this year.
Rublev’s next test will come against rising German teenager Justin Engel, who stunned Jan-Lennard Struff in a double tiebreak: 7-6(4), 7-6(4). The 17-year-old joined rare company, becoming the third-youngest German to win a main draw match in Hamburg in the Open Era—trailing only Boris Becker and Zverev.
Elsewhere on Monday, Roberto Bautista Agut advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-0 win over Marcos Giron, while Brandon Nakashima progressed after Raphael Collignon retired due to a right thumb injury, with the American leading 6-5. Jiri Lehecka also moved into the second round with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Borna Gojo.
