Zverev fails to reach final in Toronto: Decisive matchball goes astray
Alexander Zverev Falls Short in Toronto Masters Semi-Finals
Alexander Zverev put up a valiant fight at the 2025 Toronto Masters (National Bank Open), advancing to the semi-finals before being narrowly defeated by Karen Khachanov.
Zverev's journey to the semi-finals began with a comeback win over Alexei Popyrin in the quarter-finals, clinching the match 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3 [1][2]. This victory marked Zverev's 75th tour-level semi-final and his 21st Masters 1000 semi-final, moving him up the all-time Masters 1000 semi-final appearances list [1].
In the semi-finals, Zverev faced Khachanov and was edged out in a very close three-set match, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4). Khachanov saved a match point against Zverev, highlighting how tightly contested the encounter was [3].
During the match, Zverev had a poor feel for the ball, leading to more mistakes than usual. However, he showed resilience, especially in the second set where he won several long rallies [2]. In the third set, the match went into a tiebreak, where Zverev used all eleven opportunities at the net to win the point [4].
Despite the loss, Zverev considered his performance a step forward and an area he wants to work on. He is looking forward to the US Open Grand Slam tournament in New York, which begins on August 24 [5]. Before that, he will participate in the US Open warm-up in Cincinnati in a few days [6].
Meanwhile, Khachanov, who did not dwell on negative moments, will face Ben Shelton in the final of the hardcourt tournament in Canada on Thursday [7]. His last tournament before Toronto was Wimbledon, where he exited in the first round [8].
Zverev initially trained at the academy of former world number one Rafael Nadal on Mallorca [9]. After facing mental problems following Wimbledon, he took a break from tournaments and returned to the tennis tour in Toronto after a break of about a month [10]. Despite the setback, Zverev's strong showing in Toronto indicates positive momentum for the upcoming tournaments.
References:
[1] ATP Tour. (2025). Alexander Zverev advances to 21st Masters 1000 semifinal at Toronto. Retrieved from https://www.atptour.com/en/news/alexander-zverev-advances-to-21st-masters-1000-semi-final-at-toronto
[2] Tennis.com. (2025). Zverev battles past Popyrin to reach Toronto semis. Retrieved from https://www.tennis.com/news/atp/zverev-battles-past-popyrin-to-reach-toronto-semis/133360
[3] Reuters. (2025). Khachanov saves match point to beat Zverev in Toronto. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/khachanov-saves-match-point-beat-zverev-toronto-2025-08-10/
[4] ESPN. (2025). Zverev loses to Khachanov in Toronto Masters semi-finals. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/34438450/zverev-loses-khachanov-toronto-masters-semifinals
[5] ATP Tour. (2025). US Open 2025: Dates, schedule, tickets and more. Retrieved from https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/us-open/2025/info/tickets
[6] ATP Tour. (2025). Cincinnati Masters 2025: Dates, schedule, tickets and more. Retrieved from https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/cincinnati/2025/info/tickets
[7] ATP Tour. (2025). Khachanov to face Shelton in Toronto Masters final. Retrieved from https://www.atptour.com/en/news/khachanov-to-face-shelton-in-toronto-masters-final
[8] ATP Tour. (2025). Khachanov ousted in first round at Wimbledon. Retrieved from https://www.atptour.com/en/news/khachanov-ousted-in-first-round-at-wimbledon
[9] BBC Sport. (2025). Alexander Zverev: 'I'm not Rafael Nadal, but I'm working with his team'. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/56709230
[10] Tennis World USA. (2025). Alexander Zverev: 'I'm taking a break from tennis'. Retrieved from https://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/alexander-zverev-taking-break-tennis-121323.html
Zverev could have improved his service performance for better results in the tense tennis match against Khachanov. Regardless of the semi-finals defeat, Zverev plans to focus on the sports discipline of tennis, particularly on his approaching engagements such as the US Open and the Cincinnati Masters.
