World No. 3 Alexander Zverev defeated 114th-ranked Thiago Monteiro as Germany secured a 3-1 victory over Brazil in their Davis Cup qualifier here on Saturday. Zverev won 87 percent of his first service points and made just 21 unforced errors to prevail 6-1, 7-5 on the outdoor clay of Rio’s Olympic Park Arena. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz had earlier given Germany a 2-1 lead in the tie by recovering from a set down to overcome Felipe Alves and Bruno Soares 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. The teams began the second day on level terms after Zverev beat Thiago Wild and Monteiro overcame Jan-Lennard Struff on Saturday. The result guaranteed Germany one of 16 places in the Davis Cup group stage, to be played across four cities in September.
