Zverev defeats Koepfer to reach Australian Open round two

Olympic champion Alexander Zverev has reached the second round of the Australian Open after a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win over German countryman Dominik Koepfer on Tuesday.

"In the beginning I wasn’t playing my best. I think I had a great tournament at the United Cup in Sydney, but then it is obviously very different coming here to Melbourne and playing at a Grand Slam," Zverev said in his on-court interview after his three-hour, 12-minute win.

"Especially in the first few rounds it is never easy, but you have to focus on yourself, focus on your own shots and focus on finding your rhythm somehow, and I did," he added.

The world number six started the year with a triumph at the United Cup in Sydney earlier this month. He will now face Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein.