Alexander Zverev faced Lorenzo Musetti at the Australian Open Opening Week Showdown.
The German prevailed in the opening set tie break and spoke with Andrea Petkovic after the match.
UNBELIEVABLE 👏
Lorenzo Musetti gets a slice of luck to win a thrilling point against Zverev 😲@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/Byv5Yrvj5u
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2026
They recalled joining forces at the 2017 Hopman Cup in Perth. While Germany failed to reach the semi-final, Alexander and Andrea enjoyed a great time and collected many memories.
Today, they recalled Zverev's victory over legendary Roger Federer at that Hopman Cup after a thriller. The 19-year-old stunned the walking legend 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 in two hours and 30 minutes of entertaining tennis.
Alexander described it as his only win at that year's Hopman Cup, which is not true. However, it was a memorable triumph for the upcoming youngster who would claim his first notable title a couple of months later.
Roger Federer, Hopman Cup 2017© Stream screenshot
Both players performed at their best and remained neck and neck from start to finish, with plenty of cracking winners and attacking tennis that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.
Roger made a reliable start and grabbed a break in the sixth game of the opening set with a forehand crosscourt winner. The Swiss served for the set at 5-3 and dropped serve to keep the young gun in contention.
Zverev dominated the tie break and closed it with a backhand down the line winner at 6-1, wrapping up the opener after 46 minutes. Roger attacked at the beginning of the second set and landed a backhand winner for two break chances in the first game.
The German denied them and avoided an early setback. They served well in the remaining games and introduced another tie break. Alexander missed a backhand at 2-2, and Roger landed another winner for 4-2 before showing frustration after a miss in the next one.
Alexander Zverev, Australian Open 2026© Stream screenshot
The veteran landed a powerful serve for 6-4 and two set points. He seized the first with a smash winner, forcing a decider after an hour and 35 minutes.
Zverev landed a backhand winner in the eighth game for 4-4 and missed his chances on the return in the next one. The match went into a deciding tie break, and the German started it with a forehand crosscourt winner.
Federer pulled the mini-break back in the third point before netting a backhand at 2-2. Trailing 5-2, the Swiss drew the rival's error and reduced the gap to 5-4. Still, Alexander earned a match point and seized it with a volley winner to celebrate a notable win.
Nine years later, he is the 3rd seed at the Australian Open, hoping to go one step further than last year when he fell to Jannik Sinner in the title clash.
