Struggle but also a tweener: Holder Zverev advances in Munich

German tenni splayer Alexander Zverev in action against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic during their men's singles round of 32 tennis match of the ATP Tour BMW Open by Bitpanda tennis tournament in Munich. Sven Hoppe/dpa

Title holder Alexander Zverev had to fight hard but also produced an artistic shot when it mattered en route to a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) victory over Miomir Kecmanović in the first round of the Munich Open on Tuesday.

Zverev needed 2 hours 18 minutes to prevail, suffering from the cool weather which he said led to slow conditions which made it difficult to hit winners.

But he thrilled the fans with a volley tweener, a ball played between his legs, at the net to go up 5-1 in the deciding tie-break.

"The most important thing in the end is that I won," he said.

Serbia's Kecmanović beat Zverev in the last 16 in Acapulco in February.

Apart from that, the German has only lost against the top two of Jannik Sinner - in the Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo semi-finals - and Carlos Alcaraz - in the Australian Open semis - this year.

World number three Zverev is aiming for a record fourth title in Munich, where he celebrated his lone success of last year.

In the second round he faces Canada's Gabriel Diallo.