The first semi-final is set: Alexander Zverev has eliminated the next Italian one day after his marathon victory over Lorenzo Sonego. The world number three defeated Flavio Cobolli 6:4, 7:6(6). On Saturday, he will now face Daniil Medvedev, who had previously convincingly defeated Alex Michelsen, for a place in the final.
Despite the fairly clear result, the match was not an entirely carefree affair. Zverev started aggressively and grabbed the break for 1:0 in the very first game, but it was mainly his own body that caused the German problems. After just a few minutes, Zverev bent over his racket with a distorted face before serving, before suddenly running out of the stadium altogether. ‘I didn't feel so good,’ explained the 28-year-old in the mixed zone after the match. "It was very sudden. I felt completely fine before the match and then suddenly got stomach problems very quickly, threw up briefly and then felt okay again 15 minutes later."
A few minutes later, the Hamburg player returned and fortunately the match could continue. Zverev particularly excelled under pressure in this early phase of the match. He was able to hold his serve twice in a row after 0:40, while Cobolli looked increasingly frustrated at the numerous missed opportunities. The Italian made a few too many simple mistakes in the decisive rallies, turning the break into a set deficit.
The servers rarely came under pressure in the second set. Cobolli faced two break points at 2:3, but fended them off confidently with a forehand winner and a strong first serve. Zverev had to turn around a 0:30 deficit at 5:6, but quickly saved himself by winning four points in a row to reach the tie-break. It remained level for a long time before Zverev landed the decisive mini-break at 6:6. With a strong serve, he sealed his place in the semi-finals.
