Alexander Zverev says after Matteo Berrettini win: ‘I feel different this year’ ATP Tour
match report
‘I feel different this year’, Zverev says after Berrettini’s latest win
Coboli continues good form with first win at Indian Wells
March 6, 2026
ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev celebrates his first-round victory in Indian Wells on Friday.
Sam Jacott
Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini continued their long-running rivalry at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday, with fourth-seeded Zverev putting in a strong performance to reach the third round.
The German hit 19 winners, made only 11 unforced errors, and faced no break points in the match. His second serve scoring rate was as high as 82%, and he finally won 6-3, 6-4 in Indian Wells.
Zverev holds a 5-3 lead over Berrettini in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, the world number four’s first victory over the Italian since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals (which Zverev won). After winning in 71 minutes, the fourth seed will next face Brandon Nakajima or Camilo Hugo Carabelli.
“I’m very satisfied with my performance,” Zverev said in an on-court interview. “Against Mateo, it’s very difficult. I lost the last two games. I struggled before in Indian Wells, but this year I feel different. Hopefully it will be a different result and it’s a good start.”
Zverev is a seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion but has never won in Indian Wells. The 28-year-old’s best results in the California desert were quarter-finals in 2021 and 2024, according to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index. Earlier this year, the PIF ATP Ranking No. 4 reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.
“He’s a very aggressive, big forehand, big serve guy,” Zverev said of Berrettini. “When you hold back a little bit, it’s very difficult to play against him, but today I thought I was the one pushing, I was the one aggressive.”
Zverev could face No. 15 seed Flavio Coboli in the fourth round. The Italian continued his hot streak of late by winning his third tour-level title at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco last week, defeating Miomir Kekmanović 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Coboly, currently ranked a career-high No. 15, fought hard after losing the first set and produced a brilliant serving performance in the deciding set, winning 13 of 14 first-serve points. The 23-year-old will face Frances Tiafoe or Jenson Brooksby in the third round. Coboli has fond memories of playing against Tiafoe after defeating American Tiafoe in the recent Acapulco final.
