Australian Open: For the primary time with out dropping a set – “I’ll keep my mouth shut,” swears Zverev | EUROtoday

He opened the match with an ace and 213 km/h after which gained it confidently: With his strongest efficiency up to now, Alexander Zverev confidently moved into the quarter-finals on the Australian Open after a enjoying time of simply 2:11 hours.

However, final yr’s finalist determined to not declare conflict on the competitors. “I will keep my mouth closed,” mentioned Zverev after his robust 6:2, 6:4, 6:4 towards Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. “To be in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, you have to play good tennis, but I don’t want to ruin it,” Zverev averted clear phrases in a dialog with Andrea Petkovic: “I hope that I can play even better in the next three games.”

After the spectacular efficiency towards Cerundolo, he would have had cause to be extra daring. For the primary time on this yr’s event, the world quantity three remained with out dropping a set and is now within the spherical of the final eight on the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season for the fifth time.

Zverev with a mini-period of weak point with out penalties

Even Germany’s tennis legend Boris Becker, who reached the quarter-finals 4 occasions on the Yarra River, had not achieved this in his profession – however gained the title in 1991 and 1996.

Zverev continues to be a good distance away from that, however the Hamburg native is in good type. After he had all the time had a weak part within the earlier rounds and misplaced one set every, this time he made it clear that he had progressed in three units. “The form was excellent today,” mentioned Becker as a Eurosport skilled. “We didn’t expect this clear victory. He was clearly the better man in terms of play and also mentally,” mentioned Becker: “It can continue like this.”

Zverev confirmed a extremely concentrated efficiency towards Cerundolo from the primary to the final rally. After simply half an hour, the 28-year-old took the primary set, silencing the Argentine followers who have been attempting to rally their compatriot to victory with loud chants within the John Cain Arena.

But the South American annex did not have a lot cause to be blissful. Zverev additionally acted with spectacular dominance within the second spherical. The German primary managed one other fast break and Zverev had the sport firmly beneath management.

The document towards Cerundolo earlier than the spherical of 16 in Melbourne was detrimental. Zverev misplaced all the first three duels – however every on the clay courtroom that Cerundolo liked. On the exhausting courtroom within the John Cain Arena, nevertheless, the Argentine by no means discovered a solution to counter Zverev’s highly effective recreation.

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Only in direction of the tip of the second set did Zverev permit himself a small part of lack of focus. Cerundolo shortened the rating from 2:5 to 4:5, however Zverev used his third set level with an ace and set the course for progress.

In the third spherical, Zverev, who had misplaced within the ultimate in three units towards the Italian Jannik Sinner the earlier yr, discovered his previous self-confidence once more. He made the decisive break to make it 4:3, Cerundolo now stopped in order that Zverev was not in bother.

Spectator suffers fainting spell at Alcaraz match

In the battle for the semi-finals, Zverev will considerably surprisingly face US expertise Learner Tien on Tuesday. This gained towards Daniil Medvedev. In three units (6:4, 6:0, 6:3), the 20-year-old eradicated the Russian within the spherical of 16, that means Zverev was spared a duel with a fearful opponent

Before him, world primary Carlos Alcaraz had already made it to the quarter-finals. The 22-year-old Spaniard beat the American Tommy Paul 7:6 (8:6), 6:4, 7:5 – and is subsequently nonetheless with out dropping a set in Melbourne this yr. Alcaraz, who has by no means made it previous the quarterfinals on the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season, wanted 2:44 hours for his success. “I’m very happy with my level. I think it was a game at a very high level,” mentioned Alcaraz. The Australian Open is the one Grand Slam event that the Spaniard has not gained thus far.

The recreation within the Rod Laver Arena needed to be interrupted for nearly 1 / 4 of an hour within the tiebreak of the primary set as a result of an aged girl within the stands suffered a faint assault. The girl was in a position to depart the world accompanied by paramedics.