Zverev completes Cologne double

Top seed Alexander Zverev won his second ATP title in Cologne in the space of a week with a quickfire 6-2 6-1 demolition of Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the final of the bett1HULKS Championship Sunday.

The German world No 7 had claimed his first ATP crown of the year by besting Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-3 to win the bett1HULKS Indoor title at the same venue last Sunday.

Zverev, this year’s US Open runner-up, sent down nine aces and won an incredible 83% of his first serve points as he cruised through the clash with 28-year old second seed Schwartzman in 71 minutes without being broken.

Schwartzman, the world No 9, had beaten Zverev in two of their three previous meetings but looked strangely out of his depth in the final, winning 60% of his first serves and just 23% of his second serves while making five double faults.

Zverev broke the Argentine to go 3-2 up in the first set and never looked back, breaking his hapless opponent four more times during the course of the match.