Alexander Zverev was one of the most consistent players in the 2024 season. His incredible performances in the past twelve months earned him the number two spot in the men’s singles ranking and guess what? He has already got off to a winning start in the first tournament of the 2025 season and now he’s up for his next task. Zverev will face China’s Zhizhen Zhang in the next match. Speaking about Zhang, the German said, “He is someone climbing in the rankings. He’s not young in that sense anymore, but I think he’s still someone who, in a way, has blossomed late and keeps improving every year.” Can the Chinese upset the in-form German, though?

Alexander Zverev vs Zhizhen Zhang: Preview

Alexander Zverev started the 2024 season by making it to the semis at the AO. After that, he clinched his first title of the season at the Italian Open and then it was followed by two final appearances at the French Open and the German Open. His second title of the season came at the Paris Masters where he defeated the Frenchman, Ugo Humbert by 6-2,6-2. Alexander Zverev will be entering this match against Zhang after his two-set triumph over the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in the first match of the 2025 United Cup.

Interestingly, Zhizhen Zhang will also enter this match after securing a victory against the same opponent (Monteiro) in his first match. He defeated the Brazilian by 6-3,6-0 in his previous match. If we take a look at Zhang’s 2024 season, he made quite a few deep runs last season including his SF run at the Halle Open where he was defeated by Jannik Sinner (ITA). Apart from that, Zhizhen Zhang also made it to the final of the Hangzhou Open but over there he was defeated by Croatia’s Marin Cilic. 

Zverev vs Zhang: Head-to-Head

Alexander Zverev and Zhizhen Zhang have faced each other only once in their careers as of now. Currently, the German has a 1-0 lead over the Chinese. It’ll be interesting to see if Zhang makes things on level terms with Zverev with a win on Monday!

• 2024 Hamburg QF: Zverev 6-4,6-3

Prediction: Zverev to win in straight sets

With the form Alexander Zverev has been in the last few months, it’s very hard to rule out his chances from any matches. No matter who’s he facing on the other side of the net! Germany won this title in the 2024 edition, so Zverev will be desperate to retain the title for his nation in the 2025 edition. Alexander Zverev (2) had a win-loss record of 67-20 in the 2024 season, while Zhizhen Zhang recorded just 26-28. So, looking at the numbers itself, Zverev looks way ahead of the Chinese at the moment.

Having said that, there shouldn’t be a doubt about Zhizhen Zhang’s potential. We saw even Zverev heaping praise on the Chinese and this exactly shows us why he can be a real threat on any given day. If we take a look at his playing style, Zheng loves to rely on his mental tenacity to seal the deal in long rallies. He has a good baseline game and has a venomous serve in his armory. Zheng hit 373 aces and committed just 94 double faults last season. This powerful hitter can be a really tricky opponent to face at times, so Zverev needs to be a bit watchful of this.

Alexander Zverev on the other hand is an aggressive baseliner. He lives to stand far behind the baseline and aims to hit powerful groundstrokes either for winners or to wear down his opponents. Zverev can serve big and his power-packed game can also be pretty much handy on this surface. Do you know Alexander Zverev hit 797 aces last season? Aces win races! Perhaps, that’s more likely going to be the mantra to seal the deal in this epic battle! Apart from that, Zverev can also generate a lot of power with his backhand and forehand shots. However, his weaknesses include his volley and overhead techniques, but is it enough to make him second best against Zhang? No, definitely not!