Zverev cruises past Giron in Halle opener

World number three Alexander Zverev moved into the last 16 at the Halle Open on Wednesday with a straight sets win over American Marcos Giron.

The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist won 6-2, 6-1, breaking his 43rd-ranked opponent four times on the grass at the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event.

A two-time finalist at the Halle Open, Zverev's march was only halted by an incident in the stands, when an advertising board fell on to a spectator.

The German second seed was quick to react, handing an ice pack into the stands to help treat the injured man, who was applauded as he left the stadium.

"It was a great match from me," Zverev said, adding "I felt like I didn't let him play that well, which was important.

"A good start to the tournament and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

All the love for a win at home ❤️@ATPHalle | #ATPHalle pic.twitter.com/tzo7CvZCuG

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 18, 2025

Zverev, who was eliminated in four sets in the quarterfinals of the French Open earlier in June, will face Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the next round.

Later on Wednesday, Daniil Medvedev became the first player to reach the Halle Open quarterfinals, when he beat France's Quentin Halys in straight sets.

The 2021 US Open winner, now ranked 11th in the world, won 6-2, 7-5 in an hour and six minutes.

Elite company (active player match wins) 💯💯💯💯@DjokerNole - 1145@cilic_marin - 590@Gael_Monfils - 582@stanwawrinka - 579@AlexZverev - 496@GrigorDimitrov - 473@keinishikori - 451@fabiofogna - 426@BautistaAgut - 426@DaniilMedwed - 400@ATPHalle | #ATPHalle pic.twitter.com/moGuQvq6hB

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 18, 2025

On Tuesday, world number one Jannik Sinner rebounded from his epic French Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz with a straight sets win over Yannick Hanfmann.

The Italian will face 2023 Halle champion Alexander Bublik in the last 16 on Thursday.