Alexander Zverev crashes out in Basel, after a "flat" performance

German player, Alexander Zverev, lost 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 to American, Taylor Fritz, as he was knocked out of the round of 32 at the Swiss Indoors. World no. 6, Zverev, added that his performance was not up to the mark and was completely "Flat". Alexander's loss came in less than a week after he lost 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev, in the Shanghai Masters final.

A "flat" performance

Zverev said that for reasons unknown he was completely "flat" and did not have the right focus. He also said that fatigue had set in while he was playing the match and that gave him a weird feeling. 

In addition to this, he said that with his present mental state and the way he played against Fritz, a win is a far fetched idea. Alexander also said that he was more disappointed with himself rather than the straight-sets defeat he suffered against Taylor.

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The German battled it to a tie-breaker in the first set, eventually losing grip and losing the match in a total of 86 minutes. With a world ranking of 31, Taylor Fritz held his nerve and saved both the breakpoints against Zverev's serve in the first set.

ATP Finals title defence at risk

With Alexander Zverev losing in the Swiss indoors tournament, his chance of defending the season-ending ATP Finals title seems to be at risk. He won the tournament in the 2018 calendar year by beating Novak Djokovic in a 6-4, 6-3 win at London's O2 Arena. This season's top 10 players, who would be taking part in the ATP finals tournament, will e decided at the Paris Masters as the 9th and the 10th spot would be decided.

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Easy wins for Tsitsipas, Fognini, Albot, and Opelka

Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas, defeated, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, in a  6-3, 7-6 (8/6) win. Fabio Fognini won against Alexei Popyrin in a 6-2, 6-4 victory in a match with a clocked time of 78 minutes. Fabio also added that it will be okay for him if he qualified for the ATP finals and if not then he will be spending time with his family, stating that it is the most important part of one's life. 

In another match, Moldovan Radu Albot will be facing a 9-time champion and home favourite, Roger Federer. Riley Opelka battered Christian Garin in a 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (12/10) victory that makes him face either David Goffin and Marin Cilic in a second-round encounter.

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(With inputs from agencies)