Zverev concludes match with intense, emotional outburst
Alexander Zverev battled through this week's Halle match-up against Italian Lorenzo Sonego, clinching a quarterfinal spot with a 3-set victory. The German tennis star sets sights on his first-ever grass-court title, having reached the round of eight at the Wimbledon tune-up.
Zverev, the tournament's second seed, outlasted Sonego in a grueling 2-hour, 23-minute bout, revealing some vulnerabilities. Top-ranked and defending title-holder Jannik Sinner from Italy fell in the round of 16 to Kazakh powerhouse Alexander Bublik (6-3, 3-6, 4-6). Bublik accomplished his revenge on Sinner, who ousted him in the French Open's quarterfinals.
On Friday, Zverev squares off against Sonego's compatriot Flavio Cobolli in the quarters, having previously vanquished Cobolli in the French Open's third round in straight sets. Cobolli, the former Italian clay-court champion, captured Zverev's attention in Halle.
At Halle, Zverev's appeared eight times, emerging as a semifinalist twice; he lost to Florian Mayer in 2016 and Roger Federer in 2017.
Stormy Start, but Zverev Perseveres
Coming off a rough final against Taylor Fritz in Stuttgart, Zverev struggled from the start against the 46th-ranked Sonego, who ousted 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Roger Federer. Sonego gained the initial break to secure a 5-3 lead and take the set.
In the second frame, Zverev missed out on a break point at 2-0. Visibly frustrated, Zverev faltered at times and was often caught flat-footed by Sonego's stops. However, Zverev eventually broke Sonego's serve to even the set. A spell of relief washed over Zverev, resulting in an emotional outburst.
Both competitors' serves held steady in the third set, leading to a high-caliber tiebreaker. Zverev demonstrated a deft touch and unyielding composure in the deciding set, ultimately winning 7-2 in the breaker (7-6(6) in set score).
Elated with his victory, Zverev leaped for joy on the grass and screamed with unrestrained release.
Sources: ntv.de, tno/sid
- Tennis
- Alexander Zverev
I'm not going to be able to do this, Alexander Zverev thought as he faced a tough opponent in tennis's Sonego during their Halle match, a player who had previously defeated tennis legend Roger Federer. After a difficult battle, Zverev ended up clinching the victory, but the intense match revealed some vulnerabilities.
