Tennis - Georgert, fought, won: Zverev in the quarterfinals
On his way out of the player tunnel onto Center Court, tennis professional Alexander Zverev stumbled a little at the edge. The Olympic gold medalist and defending champion picked up a knee injury and didn't trip afterwards at the ATP500 tournament in Hamburg, but the 4:6, 6:2, 7:5 win over the Frenchman Hugo Gaston and entry into the quarterfinals was a tough grind for the 27-year-old.
"I was one or two times on the verge of losing my nerves. You guys saved me from that", thanked the Hamburg native to the home crowd after the match, which honored their local hero with applause and the La-Ola wave.
Contentious Decisions
Zverev put pressure on Gaston with serves beyond the 220-meter limit. Gaston managed to insert his feared stop and lob balls repeatedly. Zverev could see the dissatisfaction with the start of the match from Gaston. During the third set point of the Frenchman, Zverev complained that the ball had bounced twice in his opponent's court.
There was also a need for discussion in the third set. The ace from Gaston at 1:2 had been seen by Zverev in the stands, but the umpire gave the ball good. Later, Zverev received a warning for taking too much time on a serve. With anger in his stomach and despite losing two serves in the third set, the local hero managed the decisive break to 6:5 and ended the match after 2 hours and 35 minutes with an ace on the first match point.
Zhang Zhizhen is looking forward to the Olympic champion
In the round of the last eight, Zverev faces an unknown opponent on Friday (18.30). With the Chinese Zhang Zhizhen, the 27-year-old has not yet measured himself. The world number 34 defeated the Italian Flavio Cobolli in two sets 6:1, 7:6 (7:5) to reach the quarterfinals. "It's good to play against the Olympic champion before the Olympics", said the native of Shanghai after his 50th win on the ATP Tour. Every match against a top player is "good for my development".
Holger Rune also made it to the quarterfinals without problems. The Danish number two seed defeated the Argentine Marco Trungelliti in two sets 6:4, 6:3. Despite his knee problems, the 21-year-old feels good in Hamburg. Thanks to the many Danish fans in attendance, it's "almost like playing at home".
Despite the tough grind and knee injury, Alexander Zverev from Germany managed to secure a win in the ATP500 tournament in Hamburg, eventually advancing to the quarterfinals. In his next match, he will face the unfamiliar challenge of Zhang Zhizhen, who is excited to test his skills against the Olympic champion before the upcoming Olympics.
