Overview
- Daniel Altmaier, who saved two match points Wednesday, beat Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 to reach round two.
- The win set up a Friday second-round meeting with No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, a two-time Rome champion who leads their head-to-head 3-1.
- Altmaier turned the match by breaking late and then closing in about two and a half hours after Zhang served for it at 5-3 in the second set.
- Zverev arrives rested with a first-round bye after losing the Madrid final to Jannik Sinner.
- Rome’s ATP Masters 1000 event is a key clay warm-up for Roland-Garros, with local favorite Sinner the top seed at an event offering about €8.235 million, and Tatjana Maria also advanced by routing Magda Linette 6-0, 6-3.