Alexander Zverev advances to Australian Open semi-finals after dominant win over Tommy Paul
Alexander Zverev, aged 27, faced an unusual distraction from a feather before advancing to the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year on Tuesday, securing a victory over Tommy Paul, also 27, and moving closer to his first Grand Slam title.
The world number two demonstrated his resilience when it counted, winning two tiebreaks on a hot and breezy day, ultimately finishing with a score of 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 against the 12th-seeded American.
Zverev previously reached the semi-finals in 2020, where he was defeated by Dominic Thiem, and again last year, when he lost to Daniil Medvedev in a five-set match after initially leading 2-0.
Now entering the last four of a Grand Slam for the ninth time, Zverev has yet to secure a championship title in his decade-long pursuit.
To keep his aspirations alive, he must overcome either the ten-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic or the Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who are set to compete later.
"Honestly, I should have been down two sets to none," Zverev remarked, as he aims to become the first German man to win a Grand Slam since Boris Becker in 1996. "I was not playing well, and I felt he was."
"Yet, I somehow managed to win the first set and then the second. The fourth set was definitely my best performance, and I am extremely pleased to be back in the semi-finals."
Zverev had previously dropped his first set of the tournament in the fourth round against Ugo Humbert and repeated this against a determined Paul.
The American achieved the first break of the match in the fifth game, but Zverev countered to hold serve at 3-2 as both players exchanged powerful shots.
Paul continued to apply pressure, and a well-placed drop shot gave him three break points at 5-5. Zverev saved two of them, but Paul capitalized on the third when Zverev netted a backhand.
Undeterred, Zverev quickly responded, forcing the match into a tiebreaker where he took control, as Paul expressed his frustration towards the umpire over a contentious let call.
The American player regrouped, executing a powerful backhand winner that allowed him to break his opponent and subsequently hold serve, establishing a 3-0 advantage in the second set.
At this juncture, it was Zverev who lost his composure when the umpire called for a replay due to a feather drifting in front of him as he attempted a shot on break point.
"Come on, that is unbelievable on break point," he exclaimed, channeling his frustration into a decisive break against Paul, winning that game to love.
The match proceeded to another tiebreak, during which Paul once again struggled to find his rhythm.
However, Paul managed to break early in the third set and secured another break for a 5-3 lead, capitalizing on Zverev's errant serve, which brought the match to a fourth set. Unfortunately, a careless forehand from Paul allowed his opponent to take a 2-0 lead.
Zverev, sensing the opportunity for victory, surged ahead to a 5-0 lead as Paul faltered, ultimately clinching the match with an ace on his third match point.
SportsLigue