Wild card Zverev backed up his first career ATP victory on Tuesday by surprising fifth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, 7-5, 7-5. Despite serving just 35 percent with in the second set, Zverev beat the Russian in key backhand exchanges, attacked the mid-court ball, and competed with the confidence of a player who knows he belongs. Zverev’s victory is the first time a 17-year-old has defeated a Top 20 opponent in an ATP match since a 17-year-old Richard Gasquet upset No. 11 Nicolas Massu in the 2004 Portugal Open. The 2013 junior World No. 1 looks like a player with a slew of firsts ahead.
Brown's flashy shot selection and splashy attire—he took the court sporting red headphones, a canary shirt, blue wrist bands, orange shoelaces, and a kaleidoscopic necklace matching the bracelet on his right wrist—provides almost as much swirling color as a Jackson Pollock painting. Mixing in biting serve winners with dabs of drop shots and the occasional sneak serve-and-volley on second serve, Brown did his best to blot rhythm right out of points.
It's as if Brown plays for a dual purpose: Winning the point and entertaining the crowd in the process. That's one reason why the 104th-ranked German with the thick thatch of dreds is a fan favorite despite the fact he started the week with a .371 career winning percentage. Brown will never be a percentage player—his wristy forehand and tendency to chip approaches off that side, kamikaze net rushes, and whimsical pursuit of magic aren't built for the grind—but that's part of his exhilarating appeal. He's a showman with the guts to go for it regardless of score or consequence Banging a cross-court backhand to save the first match point, Brown erased the second with a serve and volley.
Sometimes, it looks like Verdasco is so reticent to hit a second serve on a pivotal point that he's content to kick in his first serve at three-quarter speed as a coping mechanism to prevent pressure. Verdasco, who served 70 percent with no aces and five double faults, decelerated on a double fault into net to hand Brown a second match point. The underdog converted it, and will face 78th-ranked Spaniard Pablo Andujar for a quarterfinal spot.