Tennis player Struff pressures Sinner for all victories - and falls short
Tennis ace Alexander Zverev needs to give it his all again in the Halle competition, showing a touch of frustration and confusion to his entourage. However, his determination prevails, and he advances to the semi-finals. Jan-Lennard Struff was nearly the one causing the upset, coming up just short.
Zverev keeps dreaming of winning the tennis tournament in Halle. After a hard-fought battle against French player Arthur Fils, the Olympic champion advances with a score of 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 6:4. In just a week before the grass-court Wimbledon tournament, Zverev seals the victory after two and a half hours of play, taking the third match point. He'll face Hubert Hurkacz in the semis on Saturday (1 pm), who overcame Marcos Giron from the USA with a score of 7:6 (7:5), 6:4. "Playing here brings me immense joy. Tennis has given me so much. There's nothing more satisfying than competing in a full stadium in Germany," said Zverev after his tense win.
Jan-Lennard Struff came close to the upset but didn't quite make it. The 34-year-old lost to the Italian number one Jannik Sinner despite an impressive display, with a score of 2:6, 7:6 (7:1), 6:7 (3:7). Struff stumbled in the first set but fought hard and gave Sinner a run for his money. In the end, Italy's Sinner emerges as the winner after 2 hours and 30 minutes. Sinner faces the winner of the match between Zhang Zhizhen of China and Christopher Eubanks from the USA in the semifinals.
From the outset, Zverev faced pressure from Fils, who played with ease. Fils challenged Zverev with powerful shots, making it difficult for Zverev to earn break points in the first set. The set concluded in the tiebreak, where some distracted moves from Zverev resulted in the first set going to the Frenchman after precisely one hour of play.
Fatigue results in pivotal break
Zverev appeared frustrated and rather directionless in the eyes of his team, which included his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla in the box. Yet, he managed to gather himself and bring the energetic Frenchman to task. Prior to the tournament, Zverev and Fils trained together. Mischa Zverev noted that Fils' lack of grass court practice was apparent. However, in the Halle week, Fils showed great improvement, posing a challenge for Zverev.
Despite being seeded second in Germany, Zverev maintained control of the match. At 4:2, he finally seized the elusive break, triggering a tiebreak for the second set. The decisive set had to play out in the third set - and it did, under the covered roof due to anticipated rain. Zverev seemed drained early in the third set, but at 4:3, he clinched the pivotal break. A few moments later, he secured his place in the semifinals, drawing cheers from the spectators.
