Cincinnati (AFP) – Robin Haase sent Alexander Zverev crashing out in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters in a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 upset on Wednesday, leaving the German winless in four appearances at the pre-US Open tournament.
His early exit came a week after Zverev lost in the Toronto quarter-finals to fellow youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 55th-ranked Haase clinched a surprise victory when third seed Zverev fired a return long after losing serve six times.
Zverev came into the event leading the ATP with 43 match wins this season, while it was a seventh career win over a top 10 player for Dutchman Haase.
In the women’s draw, defending US Open champion Sloane Stephens was untroubled on her way into the third round, defeating German qualifier Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-2.
The third-ranked American, who lost the Montreal final to world number one Simona Halep last weekend, reached the semi-finals here a year ago before falling to the Romanian.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus continued her successful tournament debut, beating ninth seed Karolina Pliskova 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
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