tennis
Zverev in the Cincinnati semifinals – now against Djokovic
Alexander Zverev meets Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati semifinals. photo
© Scott Stuart/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
With a clear two-set win, Alexander Zverev made it to the semifinals in Cincinnati. A repeat of the 2021 tournament victory seems within reach despite strong competition.
The Olympic champion from Tokyo beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 and is now in the semi-finals of the tournament he won in 2021. After his victory in just 72 minutes, the duel with the Serbian top professional Djokovic awaits, who also had no great difficulty in 6: 0, 6: 4 over the American Taylor Fritz.
“My tennis is developing well at the moment. Of course, after the bad week in Toronto, it was very important for me to stay in the competition and play good tennis. I’m happy to be in the semifinals here,” said Zverev after his strong performance . He had previously defeated his rival Daniil Medvedev from Russia 6: 4, 5: 7, 6: 4 in the round of 16 of the ATP 1000 tournament.
After nine consecutive defeats against top ten players, this win was particularly important for Zverev. The duel with Djokovic increases on Saturday evening (local time) and should be an indicator for the US Open in New York (August 28 to September 10). The second semi-final will be played by Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. If he won the tournament in Cincinnati, Zverev would celebrate a return to the top ten in the world rankings.