Top seed Alexander Zverev needed every ounce of his trademark resilience — and perhaps a dash of divine intervention — to book his spot in the Toronto semifinals. The German star, who’s been practically living in championship matches this season, weathered a nail-biting three-setter against 18th seed Alexei Popyrin, 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3.
Tennis matches often hinge on mere moments, and this one nearly slipped through Zverev’s fingers. After squandering two set points in an opening frame that felt more like a psychological thriller than a tennis match, lesser players might have crumbled. Not Zverev.
The world number three — fresh off his runner-up showing at last month’s Australian Open — switched gears with the precision of a Formula One driver. He stormed to 3-0 leads in both the second and third sets, leaving Popyrin to play catch-up in the sweltering Toronto afternoon.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to laugh off those first-set moments,” Zverev mused afterward, running a hand through his characteristically disheveled hair. “We were both playing solid tennis… just happened to catch a nasty net cord on set point. That’s the sport, right?”
The match statistics tell an intriguing tale. While Popyrin edged the winner count 30-28, his 45 unforced errors proved costly — particularly against Zverev’s more measured approach (30 miscues). In today’s power-baseline era, it’s refreshing to see patience rewarded over pure aggression.
Surprisingly enough, this marks Zverev’s first ATP 1000 semifinal appearance of 2024. Rather odd for someone who’s already claimed the Munich crown and reached finals in Melbourne and Stuttgart. Then again, the season’s still young, and with seven Masters titles already decorating his trophy cabinet (including that remarkable Rome-Paris double last year), who’d bet against him adding number eight?
The late-night quarter between Karen Khachanov and American rising star Alex Michelsen looms next — though Toronto’s notoriously fickle weather might have something to say about that schedule. Meanwhile, Zverev’s finding his groove at precisely the right moment, looking every bit like the player who dominated the latter half of 2023.
For the German ace, it’s all about building momentum toward the sunshine swing and beyond. And if today’s performance is any indication, his opponents might want to stock up on antacids of their own.
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