Hard work for Alexander Zverev: Four days after winning the European Laver Cup, Germany’s number one in the small tennis arena in Shenzhen/China has reached the quarter-finals with great effort.
The top seeded Hamburg player from Hamburg won his opening game at the 731,680 dollar hard court tournament in Shenzhen, China, against the Belgian Steve Darcis after 2:40 hours with 4:6,7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (7:5).
Zverev, fourth in the ATP ranking, will face Slovakian qualifier Lukas Lacko or Spaniard Marcel Granollers in the final eight.At the Laver Cup premiere in Prague he had won his two singles and contributed to the success over the rest of the world.
Returning back to the tour was likely to be disappointed.The 20-year-old saved himself into the tiebreak in the second set and forced the decisive third set.There he was trailing 0-3 and 1-4, but once again he fought back and converted his second match point.
Against the 13 years older Darcis, number 76 in the ranking, Alexander Zverev had lost the first duel this year.In the Davis Cup first-round match against Belgium in Frankfurt, he lost in four sets.
Before Alexander Zverev, his older brother had left Shenzhen.Mischa Zverev (30), number three of the seed list, was defeated by Israeli Dudi Sela 3:6,7:5,2:6.Peter Gojowczyk (Munich) was beaten 7-5,3-6,2-6 by former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the quarter-finals in Chengdu/China.Gojowczyk, who celebrated his first title win on the ATP tour in Metz on Sunday, was the last remaining German in the field.
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