The past champions whose names line the grandstands at the Citi Open include Andre Agassi (five times), Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. On Sunday, Alexander Zverev showed he may one day belong among such exalted company. The 20-year-old rising star from Germany picked up early breaks in each set and was never challenged on his serve in a 6-4, 6-4 victory over South African veteran Kevin Anderson on Sunday for his fourth ATP title of the year. That matches Rafael Nadal's victory total this season and trails only Roger Federer's five.
The eighth-ranked Zverev dropped his opening set in Washington and had to survive a third-set tiebreaker to avoid an upset in the first round. He didn't lose a set after that opening match against Jordan Thompson and grew stronger as the tournament went on, having little trouble with the hot and humid conditions or the late nights brought on by rain delays. "I feel like the longer the tournament gets, the better I start to play," Zverev said.
The title was Zverev's first of his career on an outdoor hardcourt and gives him momentum heading into the US Open, which starts on August 28. Anderson, 31, came in with a tournament-best 62 aces, but Zverev got enough first serves back to give himself ample break opportunities. Zverev broke Anderson early in each set and never faced a break point on his own serve. He played with little fear, ripping hard, flat cross-court backhands that caught Anderson off-balance. Serving at 4-3, 0-15 in the first set, Zverev hit a 127-mph second serve for a winner, and then followed it with a 121-mph first-serve ace. Zverev's previous titles this year came at a Masters event on clay in Rome, along with wins on clay in Munich and on indoor hardcourts in Montpellier, France.
