Top seeds Alexander Zverev and Coco Gauff battled through tough opening matches to advance to the third round of the Canadian Open on Tuesday, surviving determined challenges under the lights in Toronto.
Germany’s Zverev, seeded third and playing his first match since a surprise first-round exit at Wimbledon, overcame a sluggish start to defeat Australia’s Adam Walton 7-6(6), 6-4. The pivotal moment came in the first-set tiebreak when Zverev won a gruelling 52-shot rally, swinging the momentum in his favour.
“It was a very important moment, very important point for me,” Zverev said. “Lucky to get through in the first set and finish it off in two.”
Despite admitting the match was far from his best, Zverev was satisfied with his response after taking a post-Wimbledon break. “I took some time off, which I needed also for myself. I’m happy to be playing again,” he added.
Zverev will next face 32nd seed Matteo Arnaldi on Thursday.
In the women’s draw, top-seeded American Coco Gauff narrowly escaped an early exit in a dramatic 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) victory over compatriot Danielle Collins. Gauff, who captured her maiden French Open title earlier this year, was two points from defeat in the deciding set but showed resilience to clinch the nearly three-hour contest.
Despite struggling with consistency — committing 23 double faults and 74 unforced errors — the 20-year-old found a way through in her first career meeting with Collins.
“I was practicing well and I don’t think I transferred it today, but hopefully I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way,” Gauff said.
The tournament has seen several high-profile withdrawals, including world number ones Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, as well as Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Jack Draper, thinning both the ATP and WTA draws.
With top seeds being tested early, the Canadian Open is already shaping up to be a tournament full of surprises and gritty performances.