Alexander Zverev was not irritated by cheers for the Australian outsider and confidently reached the third round of the Australian Open.

With the 6: 4, 6: 4, 6: 0 against John Millman, Germany's athlete of the year abruptly ended the hopes of a tennis coup for the local tournament participant on Wednesday in Melbourne.

Unlike his German colleagues Yannick Hanfmann, Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte after their second round defeats, Zverev is playing for a place in the round of 16.

"I feel good, I won," said the 24-year-old.

"I could really tell that you had a lockdown for two years. It was a great atmosphere and I hope it will be even louder in the next matches," added Zverev.

His energy-saving second-round success against the world number 89.

proved the maturity he had gained in the meantime, not to wear himself out in the first rounds of Grand Slam tournaments like in previous years.

This should also help him Down Under to fulfill his great wish: triumph in the final.

 Friday against Radu Albot

For the time being, the Hamburg player will continue against Radu Albot from Moldova on Friday, also against the qualifier and world number 124.

he shouldn't have to call up his full potential by a long shot.

This last duel of the third day of the tournament in the Rod Laver Arena began with three service losses in three games, which is rather unusual in men's tennis.

Zverev quickly shed his short-term uncertainty in his own service game and was in front.

The strokes of the third in the world rankings came better from the baseline than in the first round in the German duel with Daniel Altmaier.

"It's not over yet"

"Sascha played well," judged Eurosport expert Boris Becker and still warned: "It's far from over." Two years ago, Millman fought a crazy duel with Roger Federer in Melbourne, which the Swiss only won thanks to six points Series won in the fifth set super tiebreak.

Zverev also struggled against Millman at the French Open 2019 over the entire distance.

This time Zverev didn't even fall behind.

In the second round, the break was enough for him to make it 2-1.

The 2020 Melbourne semi-finalist fended off two breakballs with precise serves.

Although he made five double faults, he took the second set.

After that he was clearly superior physically and playfully.

Only in the quarterfinals could Zverev face the Spanish world-class player Rafael Nadal, against whom the Karlsruhe qualifier Hanfmann lost 2: 6, 3: 6, 4: 6.

"I asked Sascha how I'm going to hit him now to get him out of the way.

That didn't work, Sascha has to do it himself," said number 126 in the world and classified his ATP Cup teammate as "a bit favoured" for this possible duel.

In view of his defeat, Yannick Hanfmann said he needed a little more distance to be proud of his courageous performance.

Nadal, the 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner from Mallorca, said goodbye to him with encouraging praise: "I know he's dangerous," said the Spaniard Hanfmann: "I think his tennis level was much higher than his today Ranking Position.”

Koepfer and Otte say goodbye

Dominik Koepfer and Oscar Otte were also knocked out in the second round. The Black Forest Davis Cup player Koepfer lost against the favored American Reilly Opelka in three sets with 4: 6, 3: 6, 6: 7 (4: 7). US Open round of 16 Otte was unable to repeat his success from New York and lost 6:2, 2:6, 3:6 1:6 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego, who was 25th. At the US Open last year, the Cologne native defeated Sonego in the first round and then surprised as a qualifier with the round of 16.

The great German hope at the Australian Open is Alexander Zverev.

The Olympic champion from Hamburg meets the Australian John Millman this Wednesday (second game after 9.00 a.m. / Eurosport).

On Thursday, Augsburg's Philipp Kohlschreiber wants to extend his stay in Australia by beating Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

In doubles, the duo Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies meanwhile experienced a successful Grand Slam return.

Thanks to a 7: 6 (9: 7), 6: 3 against the Mexican Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni from Argentina, the two-time French Open winners moved into the second round.

Krawietz/Mies made their comeback on the ATP tour last week in Sydney, where they reached the semifinals in their first tournament together in more than a year.

"I've missed him from time to time," said Mies with a smile.

At the beginning of last year, the man from Cologne had an operation on his knee for severe cartilage damage and then had to take a break for months.

"I think that the break, as stupid as it was, maybe didn't do so badly," said Mies: "Sometimes it's like in a relationship.

Sometimes you don't really know what you have in the other person anymore and take it for granted.

That wasn't really the case for us.

But that year it became clear to me again what a great partnership we have.”

The Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty only needed 52 minutes to advance to the third round.

The favorite finished off Italian qualifier Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 6-1.

In Melbourne, Barty carries hopes of becoming the first Australian tennis player since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open.