Top seed Alexander Zverev's hard-court season opened with a heavy setback at the Montreal Masters on Wednesday, as the German fell 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-4 to Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in his opening match. The world number three, who received a first-round bye, was eliminated after two hours and 34 minutes as Griekspoor converted his first match point to advance to the third round.
The defeat marked Zverev's first match since losing the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner last month. The French Open champion had been using Montreal and Cincinnati to prepare for the US Open beginning later this month. World number one Sinner and Novak Djokovic both opted to skip the event, while Carlos Alcaraz is absent through injury.
Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew before play with a back injury sustained in training on Monday. Griekspoor next faces the winner of Matteo Arnaldi and Fabian Marozsan.