A trio of Next Generation stars showed they're ready compete now on Monday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, the season's penultimate ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Nineteen-year-old Alexander Zverev, 21-year-old Kyle Edmund and 18-year-old Taylor Fritz all enjoyed winning debuts during Day Two at the Qizhong Tennis Center.
Zverev broke John Isner four times to dismiss the American 6-4, 6-2 in 69 minutes. The young German beat the 31 year old at his own game during their first meeting. Zverev almost doubled Isner's ace tally – nine to five – and won a higher percentage of first-serve points than the 6'10” Isner – 77 to 71.
At 4-4 in the first set, Isner was serving when Zverev pushed him side-to-side before delivering a backhand winner that bounced off the line. The Hamburg native would finish with 28 winners to 17 unforced errors. Isner, facing another break point to start the second set, rushed to the net but Zverev struck a blazing backhand pass to grab momentum to start the second set.
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Zverev, the 2015 ATP Star Of Tomorrow presented by Emirates, has achieved career-highs this season by winning 41 matches and reaching No. 21 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He also won his first ATP World Tour title last month in St. Petersburg (d. Wawrinka).
Zverev is trying to finish the season by making ATP World Tour history. He is attempting to become the first teenager to finish the season inside the Top 20 since Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in 2006. Zverev will next face eighth seed Marin Cilic. They split their two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, with Zverev winning their most-recent contest in Montpellier in February.
“Both very tough matches, a lot of tie-breaks in those matches,” Zverev said. “It's going to be a difficult match, but I have been playing pretty well for the last few weeks. If I can continue playing like I did the last few tournaments... I have a good chance.”
Fritz hadn't beaten a Top 60 player since defeating then-No. 30 Jeremy Chardy in Acapulco in February. But he ended that 0-12 stretch by prevailing against another Frenchman, World No. 53 Stephane Robert, 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-3. Fritz, who qualified in Shanghai, hit 14 aces and saved nine of 11 break points against the 36-year-old Robert. The California native will meet Aussie Bernard Tomic or 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.
Edmund, who also qualified, celebrated his career-high ranking of No. 48 with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win against Argentine Federico Delbonis. The Brit erased one of two break points faced in the two-hour and eight-minute match. Edmund, who reached the quarter-finals in Beijing (l. to eventual champion Murray), will next play third seed Stan Wawrinka for the first time.