Alexander Zverev storms into third round with confident Wimbledon display

Fresh from winning his first Grand Slam title at the French Open last month, the second seed looked full of confidence as he outclassed the Frenchman in just over two hours. After being tested in his opening-round victory over Belgium's Alexander Blockx, Zverev produced a far more polished display to keep his title hopes alive.

The German made a slow start by dropping the opening game, but quickly took complete control of the contest. He responded by winning nine consecutive games, dominating from the baseline and serving with authority to leave Royer with little chance of mounting a comeback.

Although Royer forced a tie-break in the third set, Zverev remained composed and comfortably closed out the match to record his 50th Tour-level victory on grass.

The 29-year-old admitted his confidence is growing as he looks to improve on his previous Wimbledon performances, having never reached the quarter-finals at the All England Club.

"If I keep playing like this I definitely think it can happen this year," Zverev said.

"In tennis you need to have a short-term memory, whether it's good or bad.

"I won the French Open which for me, I've been waiting for that Grand Slam for such a long time. Two weeks later we're here at Wimbledon and it's such a short turnaround."

Zverev's path through the draw has also opened up following the early exit of fourth seed Ben Shelton, while top contenders Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic remain in the opposite half of the draw.

The French Open champion will next face American Marcos Giron, ranked world number 92, for a place in the fourth round.

Elsewhere, Grigor Dimitrov rolled back the years with an outstanding performance to defeat 15th seed Jakub Mensik 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. The 35-year-old, who has endured a frustrating run of injuries over the past year, produced one of his best displays on grass to book a third-round meeting with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.

Berrettini also impressed, defeating 20th seed Arthur Fils 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Centre Court. The Italian relied on his powerful serve and proven grass-court game to secure his place in the last 32.

Fifth seed Alex de Minaur enjoyed one of the quickest wins of the day, brushing aside Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to continue his strong run at Wimbledon.

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