Alexander Zverev cracks up the crowd with one question when a man asks for his hand in marriage at the Australian Open
Third seed Alexander Zverev will be hoping some of his brother’s luck has rubbed off on him after notching a neat milestone to reach the Australian Open second round.
Resuming his hunt for a first major title, the 28-year-old German star was in trouble on Sunday when he dropped the opening set of his first-round match to up-and-coming Canadian Gabriel Diallo in a tiebreaker.
But Zverev – a three-time grand slam finalist – recovered to post a 6-7 (1-7) 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory in warm conditions at Rod Laver Arena.
The afternoon match ended about 4pm local time, with Zverev joking he might spend his spare time trying his luck at the casino.
‘My brother has won a lot of money in the casino this week, so I hope the streak continues,’ Zverev said.
‘I haven’t played yet, so maybe I’ll have to start as well.’
Third seed Alexander Zverev will be hoping some of his brother’s luck has rubbed off on him after notching a neat milestone to reach the Australian Open second round
On Sunday, Zverev was left laughing after a fan asked him for his hand in marriage
Another funny moment then erupted at Melbourne Park when Zverev received a marriage proposal during his post-match interview.
A fan in the crowd was seen holding up a cardboard sign that read ‘Marry me Sasha’.
Zverev spotted the fan in the crowd before joking: ‘Where’s the ring, man?’
Fans inside Rod Laver Arena broke down in stitches at the comment.
Zverev then added: ‘I am believing myself, I still want a ring! I’m not that cheap!’
Zverev struggled to find rhythm early against world No 41 Diallo and appeared frustrated during the first set tiebreaker.
But he soon found his groove, winning 84 per cent of points on his first serve and converting six of eight break points.
‘The first set wasn’t my best tennis, I would say, but then afterwards when I got into the match I felt really good on the court and definitely happy with the level,’ Zverev said after becoming the first player to win their first-round encounters at the last 10 Australian Opens.
Resuming his hunt for a first major title, the 28-year-old German star was in trouble on Sunday when he dropped the opening set of his first-round match to up-and-coming Canadian Gabriel Diallo in a tiebreaker
Zverev, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, lost his most recent major final to Jannik Sinner in Melbourne last year.
That defeat marked the start of a difficult season, in which Zverev won only one title and suffered a first-round exit at Wimbledon, amid injuries and mental problems.
But he has entered 2026 refreshed and hopeful of a breakthrough major win.
Zverev could face Australian No 2 Alexei Popyrin – who takes on world No 50 Alexandre Muller first-up – in the second round.
Elsewhere, British qualifier Arthur Fery scored the first win — and upset — of the men’s tournament when he knocked out 20th seed Flavio Cobolli 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-1.
The 23-year-old, who took out Bernard Tomic in qualifying, has now claimed two of his three tour-level victories at grand slam level.
‘Incredible experience here,’ Fery said.
‘My first time playing a main-draw slam outside of Wimbledon and it didn’t disappoint on such a great court, with great fans as well.’
Cobolli will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round, after the Argentine outlasted Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in a five-set battle that lasted almost four hours.
Etcheverry eventually prevailed 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-4, while 10th seed Alexander Bublik advanced at the expense of America’s Jenson Brooksby, winning 6-4 6-4 6-4.
Late on Sunday night, world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz took care of business against plucky Australian Adam Walton, claiming a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 victory.
