More is not possible! Prince royal Alexander Zverev challenges the king of lawn tennis Roger Feder in the last match of the 25th GERRY WEBER OPEN on Sunday (1 pm/live ZDF). The German number one was able to get a remarkable comeback a second time round in the Semifinals after losing the first set and converting his first match point after 1 hour and 52 minutes to end 4:6, 6:4, 6:3.
Alexander Zverev tried to carry on right where he had stopped against Roberto Bautista-Agut the day before in the Semis. The German number one dictated the speed in the reissue auf the final match in Montpellier at the GERRY WEBER STADION from the first rally onwards and forced Gasquet into the defence. But the smart Frenchman could adjust to the hard service of Zverev and returned stably and with courage. To add, the German number one was brought out of balance often by his filigree square game and the presice one-handed backhand. So the Wimbledon Semifinalist in 2007 and 2015 counterattacked a quick break from Zverev by a direct return game. And in the end phase of the first set, which was full of variety and excitement, he used the first chance he got. A fantastic backhand-cross-passing shot from teh Frenchman meant - as on the day before - that Zverev was one set behind.
But the German didn't lose the overview, but rather sought his chance again and again in a hard-fought and high-class match on grass. Gasquet couldn't use his slight advantage at the beginning of the second set and also his break chance, before Zverev profited in the fifth game by his opponants first minimal weakness phase. A crisp return-winner which was commentated with a "come on" by the man from Hamburg was key to the deciding break in this round. The rest was done by Zverevs' brutal service - the German Davis-Cup player only lost one point on his serve.
Richard Gasquet, who suffered a appendicitis this year already, was also thrown back by a back and thigh injury, presented himself in wonderful playing mood - and so the 11,500 spectators got to see high-class lawn tennis at the GERRY WEBER STADION. There were just tiny nuances like the strong Zverev forehand, with which he got to score some spectacular points and which got him the deciding break in the seventh game. Now the exalted tennis fans in Halle carried him over the finish line, with which he got his second match point.
"I don't really know what to say, that was fantastic. It's always fun to play in front of this fantastic audience. I have played three times against Roger and twice I won. Probably it's one of the dream finals of the tournament and I'm very much looking forward to it", the 20 year-old said after his big coup.
Zverev reaches his third final after Montpellier, Munich and Rom already in 2017. Up til now, he has won all three finals. And Roger Federer was beaten by him last year here in Halle, too. But then he was defeated by his compratriot Florian Mayer in the Semifinals. Now Zverev has a second go at putting his name down on the winners list at the GERRY WEBER OPEN and then it would be the prince royal becomes king.
