German tennis player Alexander Zverev overcame a series of attacks from compatriot Daniel Altmaier in Rome, where the second seed started the 2026 Internazionali BNL d'Italia with a win on Friday.
After a rain delay of more than 90 minutes, Zverev battled to a 7-5, 6-3 victory to begin his bid for a third ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome.
"It was a tough match for me physically. I wasn't feeling well," Zverev said after improving their head-to-head record to 4-1, according to the ATP.
Zverev, the Rome champion in 2017 and 2024, was repeatedly pushed out of his comfort zone by Altmaier before finally finding enough consistency and aggression to seal victory after one hour and 44 minutes.
"He played amazing. I think it was probably the best match he's ever played, especially against me," Zverev said.
"He's a pretty defensive player, so you have to be aggressive. You have to control the rallies. I found a way, and that's the most important thing."
Altmaier broke serve in both sets and made life difficult for his opponent throughout the match with his powerful strokes and varied strokes.
Zverev failed to finish the first set at 5-3 before coming back.
