Kevin Anderson

The 18-year-old struggled for rhythm in the opening set but showed composure to respond by breaking Munar early in the second set and dominating from there.

Alcaraz took the victory in two hours and 15 minutes, saving 10 of 13 break points across the match, while dropping only three games in the second and third sets.

Spaniard Pedro Martinez set up a second-round clash with third seed Diego Schwartzman after a 6-3 6-4 win over Shang Juncheng.

Pablo Andujar Alba also progressed 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 over Pablo Cuevas, while Serbian qualifier Meomir Kecmanovic accounted for local wildcard Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves 6-3 6-0.

At the Delray Beach Open in Florida, Steve Johnson beat South African veteran Kevin Anderson in just over two hours, triumphing 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-2.

Oscar Otte got past Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 to set up a second-round date with top seed Cameron Norrie, while there were only two breaks across the match as seventh seed Maxime Bressy was ousted by John Millman 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3).

Italian veteran Andreas Seppi beat German Peter Gojowczyk 7-5 6-4, while young American Brandon Nakashima comfortably handled Denis Kudla 6-1 6-1.

The one-time world number five served 16 aces in a 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 win over 20-year-old American Jenson Brooksby at the tournament in Newport, Rhode Island.

Playing the third grass-court final of his professional career, after being runner-up at Queen's Club in 2015 and at Wimbledon in 2018, Anderson outfought Brooksby to land a seventh ATP title.

Now ranked at a relatively lowly 113th, the 35-year-old South African former world number five saw off top seed Alexander Bublik in the semi-finals before getting the better of Californian prospect Brooksby in the title match.

"It's been a pretty tough run with some injuries," Anderson said, quoted on the ATP website. "But to be back here at the International Tennis Hall of Fame with such history, this couldn't be a better week for me to start, hopefully, my comeback.

"I'm very motivated to get back. But it all starts with each match, and I was able to really grind it out."

Anderson's last title had come on hard courts at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, India, where he got the better of Ivo Karlovic in a match where all three sets went to tie-breaks, and where Karlovic fired 36 aces in a losing cause.

Nadal remained on track in his bid to win a 20th grand slam title despite wasting chances against Federico Delbonis in Melbourne on Thursday.

The seeds have been relatively untroubled in the opening rounds in Australia, and they are on a collision course heading into the end of the first week and into the second.

Medvedev, Zverev and Wawrinka were also among the winners in the top half of the draw.

NADAL BATTLES INTO ALL-SPANISH THIRD-ROUND CLASH

Nadal converted just three of 20 break points to overcome Delbonis 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.

The Spanish star was wasteful before winning in two hours, 30 minutes, while he apologetically kissed a ball girl after striking her with a wayward forehand late in the victory.

Awaiting Nadal is Pablo Carreno Busta, the 27th seed having got past German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-4.

Nadal has won his previous four meetings with Carreno Busta.

MEDVEDEV, ZVEREV AND WAWRINKA ADVANCE

Runner-up to Nadal at last year's US Open, fourth seed Medvedev was too strong for Spain's Pedro Martinez as he won 7-5 6-1 6-3.

Another member of the 'Next Gen', Zverev got the job done against Egor Gerasimov, winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-5.

Zverev will meet Fernando Verdasco after the Spanish veteran upset 26th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in four sets.

Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, was pushed hard by Andreas Seppi, but the Swiss made it 10 wins in 14 meetings with the Italian veteran, securing a 4-6 7-5 6-3 3-6 6-4 victory.

John Isner awaits Wawrinka after the American served 32 aces in a 6-4 6-3 6-3 win against Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo.

Dominic Thiem (fifth seed) and David Goffin (11th) were pushed to five sets before overcoming Alex Bolt and Pierre-Hugues Herbert respectively.

KYRGIOS, KHACHANOV SET UP CINCINNATI REMATCH

Nick Kyrgios and Karen Khachanov were both tested before setting up a third-round clash.

Kyrgios got past Gilles Simon 6-2 6-4 4-6 7-5, while Khachanov needed four hours, 34 minutes to edge Mikael Ymer 6-2 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6 (10-8).

Khachanov won his previous meeting with Kyrgios in Cincinnati last year, but it was a clash best remembered for the Australian's outburst at umpire Fergus Murphy that resulted in a 16-week suspended ban and fine.

Gael Monfils, Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz were among the other seeds to win through on Thursday.

Edmund – the eighth seed – defeated Japanese opponent Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5 6-4 at the ATP Tour 250 tournament on Tuesday.

The Brit won 86 per cent of his first serves as he earned a clash with Dominik Koepfer after one hour, 44 minutes.

German Koepfer defeated last year's runner-up Brayden Schnur 7-5 6-4 in the opening round.

Kevin Anderson – the 2018 champion in New York – was stunned 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 by qualifier Jason Jung, who will face Cameron Norrie after the seventh seed beat Brian Shi 7-5 6-3.

Elsewhere, Jordan Thompson accounted for veteran Ivo Karlovic 6-3 7-6 (7-2), Yoshihito Nishioka outlasted Henri Laaksonen 6-3 0-6 6-2, Paolo Lorenzi prevailed 4-6 6-4 6-0 over Danilo Petrovic and Go Soeda went down 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 to Kwon Soon-woo.

At the Argentina Open, Cecchinato's title defence was ended by Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round.

Cecchinato was upstaged 6-4 7-6 (7-3) by Carballes Baena, who saved five of six break points on the clay in Buenos Aires.

Next up is Casper Ruud after the eighth seed blitzed Pablo Andujar 6-2 6-3.

Fellow seed Laslo Djere and Albert Ramos-Vinolas also progressed to the last 16, along with Facundo Bagnis, Juan Ignacio Londero, Pedro Sousa, Pedro Martinez and Jozef Kovalik.

Emerging star Musetti defeated American qualifier Mmoh 6-4 6-4 to set up a second-round meeting with 23rd seed Benoit Paire.

Former US Open champion Marin Cilic also progressed in a three-set victory over Federico Coria, while Thanasi Kokkinakis, Sebastian Korda, Tennys Sandgren and Jordan Thompson were other winners.

Former top-five player Kevin Anderson was among those to bow out in the first round of the ATP 1000 event.

STAR ON THE RISE

Italian teenager Musetti continued his rapid rise with a hard-fought victory over Mmoh.

The 19-year-old Musetti reached the semi-finals of last week's Mexican Open, where he beat both Diego Schwartzman and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the semi-finals.

This week, Musetti battled past wildcard Mmoh in one hour, 38 minutes.

"Last week was a fantastic run in Acapulco," Musetti said in his on-court interview. " I played a really good match, it was a tough match.

"I think my lethal weapon is the backhand down the line."

CILIC SLICE OF FORTUNE

Former world number three Cilic secured his place in the second round with a 6-3 2-6 6-4 victory against Federico Coria.

However, Cilic – the 2014 US Open winner – had a huge slice of luck to claim a break back in the first.

The Croatian got lucky down a break at 2-1 but up 30-40 in the first when he mishit his overhead attempt, striking his frame and bobbling over for a drop shot winner to level.

"It was important for me to keep my head down, keep the focus and just try to get the best level I could today," Cilic said.

FOND MEMORIES FOR THANASI

Australian qualifier Kokkinakis' fond memories in Miami returned with a 6-3 6-3 win over Shintaro Mochizuki as he continues his positive return from a shoulder injury.

Kokkinakis beat then-world number one Roger Federer in Miami in 2018.

Korda won his Miami Open debut match, triumphing 6-3 6-0 over Radu Albot to set up a meeting with 10th seed Fabio Fognini.

Jordan Thompson will face Milos Raonic after accounting for Federico Delbonis 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in two hours, 12 minutes.

Sandgren – a two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist – got past Pedro Martinez 6-4 2-0, with the Spaniard retiring.

Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Anderson was a surprise casualty, going down 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 to lucky loser Damir Dzumhur.

"I know that my game can be much better than what I'm showing right now and my position in the ATP Rankings can be much better," Dzumhur said.

On duty for Serbia against South Africa in the team event, Djokovic both fed off and appeared to be distracted by a noisy Brisbane crowd as he battled to a 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (8-6) victory.

At one stage, Djokovic railed at umpire Mohamed Lahyani when he was denied the chance to challenge a line call.

In the second-set tie-break, Anderson could not take a set point on his own serve. Rather than going to a decider, Djokovic snatched his chance to seize victory in straight sets to put Serbia in charge of the tie.

Anderson played only five tournaments last season because of knee and shoulder problems, so to push the world number two so hard was a highly creditable effort.

"What a way to start the year," Djokovic said in his on-court interview, after repeating his 2018 Wimbledon final victory over Anderson.

"I'm pretty pleased with my game. To be honest, considering the fact that he was playing at the very high level, I thought it was a fantastic match."

Djokovic's win put Serbia 2-0 ahead, after Dejan Lajovic had edged past Lloyd Harris in three sets, while Nikola Cacic and Viktor Troicki teamed up for a 52-minute stroll past the South African pair of Raven Klaasen and Ruan Roelofse, dropping just five games, to clinch a 3-0 team success.

The tournament is being contested by 24 teams, split between venues in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, with many of the world's top players taking the chance to compete ahead of the Australian Open later this month.

World number one Nadal beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3 7-5 in Perth as Spain overcame Georgia in Group B, with team-mate Roberto Bautista Agut drubbing world number 679 Aleksandre Metreveli 6-0 6-0. Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez earned a doubles win to make it a perfect day for the Spanish team.

Borna Coric enjoyed an impressive win, seeing off world number four Dominic Thiem 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 in Sydney as Croatia beat Austria 3-0.

Argentina fended off Poland 2-1 in Sydney and Japan were 3-0 victors over Uruguay in Perth.

Gael Monfils and Benoit Paire both scored singles wins as France earned a 2-1 success against Chile in Brisbane. That match was arguably more notable for the two beaten Chilean singles players - Cristian Garin and Nicolas Jarry - pairing up in doubles to register a 7-5 6-2 win over the acclaimed duo of Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

The fifth seed became the first Greek player to reach this stage at Roland Garros on multiple occasions after overcoming Aljaz Bedene.

Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov will meet for the first time in the fourth round, with each having had curtailed time on court on Saturday as their respective opponents retired.

Marton Fucsovics set up a showdown with in-form Andrey Rublev, but the day arguably belonged to Daniel Altmaier, whose remarkable run continues after he dispatched world number eight Matteo Berrettini.

TSITSIPAS READY FOR REAL TEST

Tsitsipas barely broke sweat as he advanced to the last 16, with Bedene retiring with a foot problem in the third set.

The pair had only been on court for 80 minutes, Tsitsipas having taken a commanding 6-1 6-2 3-1 lead against the clearly hampered Slovenian.

While the match inevitably lost a level of intrigue, the same cannot be said for Tsitsipas at these finals. The 22-year-old, whose personalised face masks have been a hit at the championships, has also made a point of keeping his media duties interesting.

Perhaps that comes in part from the young Tsitsipas' journalistic background. "I was a journalist when I was 11, 12 years old. I had this Facebook page, which I very often updated with news about Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic," he explained.

"I was really into it. Every day after school I would check the results, check the current, latest tennis news. I would update it. It was a lot of fun, I enjoyed doing it.

"Journalism and press and media, I love this a lot. I do understand how it operates, how it works. So for me, you know, I'm a tennis player, and if something works, I'm on the court the next day  trying to do the same thing. For me sometimes there isn't really much for me to say tactical-wise or match-wise because I'm just trying to follow the things that have been working for me."

Tsitsipas will now meet Dimitrov, who had even less time on court against Roberto Carballes, the Spaniard retiring at 1-6 3-6 down with a little over an hour played.

It is the first time Dimitrov, a semi-finalist at each of the other majors in his career, has reached the second week in Paris.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

Altmaier produced the finest two hours and 15 minutes of his career as he defeated Berrettini, a semi-finalist at last year's US Open, in straight sets.

The seventh seed lost 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to the German qualifier, who is ranked 186th in the world and nearly did not compete in Paris due to injury.

"My coach and I have been working so hard to be here, and while I've struggled with a few injuries, I am super-pleased it’s at Roland Garros," said Altmaier, who is just the fifth qualifier since 2000 to reach the last 16 of a men's slam.

"Before qualifying, I was struggling with an injury, so I wasn't sure I was going to play. I hope the crowd and the TV audience enjoyed watching, as I want to entertain."

Next up for Altmaier will be Pablo Carreno Busta – himself a US Open semi-finalist just three weeks ago – after he beat compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-4 in three hours and 22 minutes.

FUCSOVICS READY FOR RUBLEV

Rublev's winning streak stretched to eight matches as he made light work of big-serving Kevin Anderson, winning 6-3 6-2 6-3 in just 94 minutes.

Anderson, the former world number five, hit 33 unforced errors and won just four points on Rublev's first serve as he fell to the Russian.

Rublev will now face Fucsovics, who beat Brazil's Thiago Monteiro 7-5 6-1 6-3. It will be their first meeting since the 2017 Davis Cup, when Fucsovics fought from two sets down to help Hungary to a 3-1 victory.

"We were different players," said Fucsovics. "Right now he's just about to break in the top 10. I got more matured. I have more experience. I'm fit now, fitter than ever. I'm looking forward to playing a good match against him, try to break through finally to the quarter-finals."

Former world number five Anderson – a US Open and Wimbledon finalist in 2017 and 2018 respectively – confirmed the news on his official Twitter account on Friday.

The 33-year-old, now ranked at 121, slumped out in the second round of the Australian Open in January before succumbing to Jason Jung in the round of 32 at the New York Open this month.

Anderson will now miss the Mexico Open, where he is a two-time finalist, along with the Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami and seems set to face a race against time to be fit for the French Open in May.

He has confirmed the injury to his right knee was sustained during off-season training in December, with scans in Australia confirming a medial meniscus tear.

"It is beyond difficult and frustrating to have to deal with this, after the setbacks I had last year," Anderson posted on Twitter. "But I know it's the right decision for me to get back where I want to, and rest assured I will do everything in my power to get there."

Murray, who had not played at Indian Wells in four years, won in one hour and 24 minutes with a disciplined display, winning 82 per cent of first serve points.

The Briton, who only faced one break point for the match, will next take on Spanish 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who enjoyed a fine run to the US Open quarter-finals in September.

"I think Alcaraz is really, really good," Murray said after the win. "I think he’s got a good chance at it."

On his own performance, Murray added: "I thought my mentality was good tonight. I sort of focused just on every single point.

"It's been a tough road to get back and it was so nice that so many people managed to come out and support today. I really enjoyed it."

BROOKSBY SETS UP ZVEREV DATE

Emerging American Jenson Brooksby triumphed over Cem Ilkel 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to book his spot in the second round where he will face third seed Alexander Zverev.

The 20-year-old world number 79, who was the runner-up at the Hall of Fame Open in July, prevailed in his Indian Wells debut in one hour and 44 minutes.

Brooksby dropped only four points on his serve, with Ilkel unable to generate a break point throughout the match.

The California native has been a break-out star in the latter half of 2021, reaching the fourth round at the US Open, entering the top 100 after starting the year ranked 307th.

SOCK PUT AWAY BY AUSTRALIAN

Former top 10 player Jack Sock was bundled out by Australian John Millman 7-5 4-6 6-3 in an epic first-round clash which lasted two and a half hours.

Sock, who has battled injuries in recent times and was handed a wild card for Indian Wells, pushed Millman all the way, with the Australian breaking to lead 5-3 in the third set before serving out for victory.

World number 61 Pedro Martinez made light work of Italian qualifier Roberto Marcora 6-4 6-0 to set up a second-round meeting with second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 24-year-old Spaniard triumphed in one hour and 15 minutes.

Former Wimbledon and US Open finalist Kevin Anderson sent down 10 aces in a 7-5 6-2 win over Jordan Thompson.

Rublev – the world number five – won 6-2 6-1 over local 20-year-old Nakashima at the ATP 250 tournament on Wednesday.

Nakashima claimed only two of 18 second serve points for the match, with Rublev breaking him six times and triumphing in one hour, two minutes midweek.

The result improves 2021 Australian Open quarter-finalist Rublev's record to 45-15 this calendar year.

Rublev will take on sixth seed Diego Schwartzman, who rallied to defeat Lloyd Harris 4-6 6-3 6-2 in San Diego.

Fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz moved into the next round with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 victory over Australian qualifier Alex Bolt.

Hurkacz will face Russian and 2021 Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev in the round of 16.

Daniel Evans – the eighth seed – overcame former Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Kevin Anderson 7-6 (13-11) 7-5 after more than two hours on court.

Evans will meet countryman Cam Norrie next.

World number 12 Rublev, a two-time winner on the ATP tour this year, is seeded fifth in Hamburg and made light work of Sandgren.

Russia's Rublev broke his American foe three times and did not offer up a single break point on his own serve as he won 6-3 6-3 in an hour and nine minutes.

Elsewhere it was a productive day for qualifiers in the round of 32, with Pablo Cuevas and Jiri Vesely respectively seeing off Taylor Fritz and Gilles Simon in straight sets.

Despite the woes of his compatriots Sandgren and Fritz, Tommy Paul prevailed in a topsy-turvy encounter with Kevin Anderson.

The former Wimbledon and US Open finalist inflicted a bagel upon Paul to level matters in the second set but the world number 59 regrouped to triumph 6-4 0-6 6-4 - the big serving Anderson's 14 aces to his opponent's one counting for little in the final analysis.

Rublev was leading 6-4 6-1 when Anderson pulled out with a leg injury, which he had earlier led to a medical timeout for treatment. 

The Russian, who has won 18 of his past 19 matches, will take on Lorenzo Sonego in Sunday's final, the Italian following up his stunning quarter-final victory over Novak Djokovic with a 6-3 6-4 win over Dan Evans.  

Rublev is on the brink of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in London next month, but the 23-year-old insists he is not setting any expectations and simply wants to continue with the relaxed approach that has served him so well in 2020.  

"I don't know why it's going so well," he said. "I have such an amazing team and such amazing friends around me that always support me. That's probably why I'm playing so well. 

"I came here thinking that I have nothing to lose. I have already played a really great season, so I came here to enjoy it, do my best, fight for every point and now here I am in the final.

"I want to keep thinking the same way and we'll see what's going to happen tomorrow."

Sonego, meanwhile, admits he can scarcely believe he made the final after initially losing in the final round of qualifying against Aljaz Bedene, only to get into the main draw once Diego Schwartzman. 

He becomes the first lucky loser to reach the Vienna Open final since Andreas Haider-Maurer in 2010.  

"It's amazing," Sonego said. "I started this tournament [by losing] in the qualifiers. It's not easy after losing my [qualifying] match to win four matches and now I got to the final. 

"I don't have any expectations. I go with confidence and I [will] try to do my best tomorrow."

The South African, who won seven ATP Tour titles, announced his decision in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

"I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't playing tennis," Anderson wrote.

"I started on the journey 30 years ago when my Dad put a racquet in my hands and told me if I was willing to work hard, I could be one of the best players in the world.

"Since then, tennis carried me far beyond my roots in Johannesburg, South Africa and truly gave me the world.

"I've experienced so many different challenges and emotions; this sport can be exhilarating and at the same time lonely.

"I've had ups and downs, but I wouldn't change it for anything. My journey helped me become the man who I am today."

Anderson thanked his family, coaches, sponsors and fans before adding: "I am so thankful for the wonderful things that have come my way purely because I was a part of this sport.

"As a kid, my Dad used to tell me that success isn't defined by results, but by the effort and sacrifice you make along the way in becoming the best you can be.

"I gave it my best."

Anderson played the US Open final in 2017, losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal. He ran into another of the sport's greats in the Wimbledon championship match the following year, beaten by Novak Djokovic.

Anderson's last tour title came at the Hall of Fame Open in July 2021.

Lajovic, who is currently ranked 37th in the world, beat 50th-ranked Paire 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in just over two hours in Buenos Aires.

In a tight match, the Serbian got the edge in the third-set tiebreak as his first serve seldom let him down.

Former top 10 player Verdasco, now 38-years-old, defeated Bolivian Hugo Dellien 6-4 3-6 6-1 in two hours and two minutes.

Serbian eighth seed Laslo Dere got past compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4 1-6 6-1, while Argentine pair Federico Coria and Francisco Cerundolo also progressed.

Meanwhile at the Dallas Open, veteran South African Kevin Anderson proved too good for Sam Querrey 6-4 6-4.

The 35-year-old former US Open and Wimbledon finalist sent down 21 aces as he won in little over an hour.

Emerging American Brandon Nakashima defeated Australian John Millman 7-5 7-6 (7-3) in the first round.

Brooksby, who received a wildcard for the draw, triumphed in one hour and 49 mnutes against the former world number five.

The 20-year-old American saved a set point at 5-6 in the first set, before winning in a tiebreaker off the back of winning six consecutive points having trailed 1-4.

Former City Open finalist Anderson, who sent down 10-1 aces, had defeated Brooksby to win the Hall of Fame Open last month.

World number 130 Brooksby, who had started the season outside the top 300, claimed the crucial break in the eighth game of the second set.

Brooksby advances to take on American Francis Tiafoe, fresh from competing at Tokyo 2020, as numerous big names enter the draw for the second round.

Kei Nishikori, who won in Washington in 2015, got past American Sam Querrey 6-4 6-3 to set up a second round meeting with Kazakhstani ninth seed Alexander Bublik.

American Jack Sock will take on top seed Rafael Nadal in the second round after he got past Yoshihito Nishioka in a walkover 6-7 (3-7) 4-0.

Former top 20 player Andreas Seppi triumphed in three sets against Yasutaka Uchiyama while Canadian tour veteran Vasek Pospisil got past Emilio Gomez in three.

Ilya Ivashka, Marcos Giron, Ricardas Berankas and Daniel Galan were the other first round winners on Monday.

Aiming for his sixth title at the All England Club, the defending champion put in an ominous showing as far as his rivals are concerned, running out a 6-3 6-3 6-3 winner.

He will now either Italy's Andreas Seppi or American Denis Kudla in the next round.

Djokovic's defence got off to an imperfect start on Monday as he dropped the opening set en route to victory over British wildcard Jack Draper.

But, rather than his opponent, the biggest threat to the Serbian's supremacy in this one seemed to come from the uncertain conditions underfoot on Centre Court.

As has been the case for many players so far at The Championships, Djokovic struggled to get to grips with a slippy court as he repeatedly tumbled early doors.

However, he slowly began to find his stride before a break in the eighth game handed him a lead that was comfortably served out for the first set.

Anderson's confidence appeared to take a hit from that setback and he narrowly survived a break scare in the first game of the second set as a result.

But the South African could not keep his opponent at bay for long, Djokovic going a break ahead in the seventh game with a sumptuous lob from deep before claiming another to see out the set.

The top seed wasted little time in wrapping up the match from there, claiming the crucial break of a third set that lasted just 32 minutes in its eighth game.

Anderson recovered the first of three break points with two impressive serves but could do little with a blistering return that put him on the back foot before losing the third.

And Djokovic's victory was wrapped up in the subsequent service game as his opponent hit a return long to bring the match to a close after an hour and 41 minutes.

Data slam: Flawless Djokovic sets out stall

Speaking to the BBC after his win over Anderson, a confident Djokovic shared his belief that he had put in a "flawless" showing.

Amd, while his demanding coach Marian Vajda is unlikely to agree, at times this performance was about as close as you can get to such lofty descriptions.

Djokovic ended the match with just six unforced errors to his name as he dealt with one of the biggest hitters on tour by continually prolonging rallies with his vast range of shots.

Clearly it is going to take something impressive to dethrone the Serbian, who has no intention of letting his Wimbledon crown go unless it is dragged away from him.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Djokovic – 25/6
Anderson – 24/26

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Djokovic – 9/1
Anderson – 11/4

BREAK POINTS WON

Djokovic – 4/8
Anderson – 0/0

Zverev has been managing an elbow injury and had only played three times since mid-March, swiftly departing Masters 1000 events in Miami and Monte-Carlo.

But the German is back in familiar territory on home soil and made light work of lucky loser Ricardas Berankis.

Zverev, who won the tournament in 2017 and 2018, needed just 87 minutes to claim a 6-2 6-4 victory.

"I haven't played much tennis the past few weeks, so I know I'll need to improve for the next match," he said.

"I've had success in the past and I feel good here. I've played well in the practice and hopefully I can do better on the match court."

Fellow seeds Casper Ruud and John Millman each also advanced, albeit the latter only when Guido Pella retired after the Argentine won the first set 6-4 and was 2-0 down in the second.

At the Estoril Open, Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson will face off in an enticing quarter-final.

One-time US Open champion Cilic has a 6-1 career lead over Anderson, who has fallen to 105th in the world.

Cilic came from behind to beat Nuno Borges 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4, while Anderson defeated Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets.