Alexander Zverev Enters Toronto Masters Semifinals, To Face Khachanov
Alexander Zverev entered his 21st Masters 1000 semifinal by defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Toronto Masters.
Zverev reached his 21st Masters 1000 semifinal on Monday by halting Alexei Popyrin’s Canadian title defence with a 6-7 (8/10), 6-4, 6-3 win at the ATP Toronto Masters. The final game, where Zverev was serving at 5-3, was briefly interrupted by loud shouting from an unruly spectator, who was later escorted out by security personnel.
The disruption broke Zverev’s run of 14 consecutive points on serve and led to a double fault when he resumed. However, he wrapped up the match with a crisp volley winner at the net on his first match point.
This marked Zverev’s 40th win of the season, achieved in just over two and a half hours. The World No. 3 had clinched the title in 2017, but hadn’t gone beyond the quarterfinals in Canada since then.
“After losing the first set, I reminded myself that both of us were playing at a high level,” said Zverev, who holds seven Masters titles. “I made a couple of errors at the end of the first set, but overall it was a quality match. I knew if I kept up my level, I’d get opportunities — and I did. I have no complaints about the second and third sets.”
Zverev will now take on three-time semifinalist Karen Khachanov in the Thursday final — an unusual schedule for the ATP event. Khachanov advanced after defeating rising American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
“It was a tight and competitive match,” said Khachanov. “I had to recover from some difficult situations. Mental strength plays a big role in such moments. I’m happy I was able to close it out in the second set. I just focused on not letting him take control, and that strategy worked today.”
Zverev holds a 5-2 head-to-head record against Khachanov.
The opening set between Popyrin and Zverev was a closely contested 71-minute battle that went to a tiebreaker. Zverev couldn’t capitalise on two set points, whereas Popyrin clinched it on his second opportunity with a lucky net cord that left Zverev helpless at the baseline.
Zverev began to shift momentum in the second set, racing to a 4-1 lead before Popyrin managed to level the score at 4-all. However, Zverev broke at a crucial moment to seal the set 6-4, as Popyrin hit a volley wide.
In the deciding set, the top-seeded German surged ahead 3-0 and maintained his lead to enter the semifinals of this pre-US Open tournament.
Popyrin continues to remain winless against Zverev, having lost all four of their previous meetings.
