On January 17, Beijing time, the first round of the Australian Open men's singles, Zverev swept 3-0 through German compatriot Alter Meier to advance. Previously, Nadal had already taken the lead in sweeping the United States' Geelong 3-0 to advance. The reason why these two people are put together is because they are in the same 1/4 district, and they are the biggest obstacle to each other's road to the top 4.
In the match against Alte Meyer, Zverev fought his opponent in the first set to grab seven, Zverev won 7-3, and won the first set 7-6. In the second set, Zverev quickly established a break set advantage and won 6-1. In the third set, Zverev was broken by the opponent in the sixth set, Altemayr took a 4-2 lead, Zverev scored a rebound in the eighth set to chase the tie, and then Zverev completed the save, leading 5-4 in the set, Altemayr also saved all the serves, and the two sides entered the seven-game battle. Zverev won the match 7-1 and snatched seven in another set, advancing 3-0 to advance to the next round.
Earlier, Nadal swept Giron 3-0 to advance. In the first set, Nadal broke 2 degrees and won easily 6-1. In the second set, Nadal opened with a break and held a break to the end, making it 6-4. In the third set, Nadal broke again at the beginning of the game, breaking Giron's serve on the second degree, winning 6-2 and keeping a 3-0 clean sheet.
At this year's Australian Open, Nadal and Zverev are among the favourites to win the title. Because Nadal's world rankings have slipped, he and No. 3 seed Zverev are divided into the same 1/4 zone, and if there is no big upset, it is no accident that Nadal will meet Zverev in the quarter-finals to compete for a place in the top 4. In the past record, Nadal was 6-3 dominant. Djokovic was forced to retire and Nadal's chances of taking the 21st Grand Slam first increased, but Zverev was so strong that it was possible to stop Nadal.