Alexander Zverev is in the quarter-finals of the ATP-Wold-Tour-500 tournament in Vienna. In a tough last sixteen, the world number five defeated Gilles Simon 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Maximilian Kisanyik reports from the Vienna City Hall
The number one seed list in his second round match was a seasoned and experienced French player with an intelligent playing ability. Simon plays with a lot of wit and overview and has already disenchanted some of the big names on the tour. Zverev won the three matches so far, all last year, in his favour.
Before the start of the match, all fans of the ATP NextGen Finals in Milan got bad news. The top star and favourite leader of the “Young guns” Zverev canceled his start at the beginning of November:”I talked to my team and we decided that the best way to prepare for the ATP finals in London is to cancel the start in Milan,”Zverev was quoted on the ATP website. The 20-year-old, however, does not want to miss a brief visit to Italy and would like to visit the tournament and the Italian fans, Zverev continues.
After the announcement of the Milan cancellation, however, the focus of the top-set was again on his match against Simon in the crowded Stadthalle. In the fourth match against Zverev Simon got the better start and took the lead with a break and 2:0. With the start shock at the back of his neck, Zverev also found his way into the game and forced the re–break in return. In an exciting and tighter initial phase, both players did not give themselves anything and fought a mental fight for wear and tear.
At a score of 4:4, Zverev set the decisive needle punctures and snatched the break to 5:4. However, the 20-year-old was unable to take advantage of this advantage and won the re-break after he had already had set points. The game got what she deserved and the spectators saw a thrilling tiebreak. A loud “Come on” from Zverev echoed through the hall as he turned the set ball to 8:6 after 72 minutes.
The first three games of the second set alone lasted 23 minutes – and Simon took the break to the 2:1 lead. Then things went up and down: After Zverev managed to re-break, he lost his service again. The Frenchman finally had the momentum on his side, but missed the double-break in the direction of equalization. The North German fought his way back in a mental thriller and turned his first match point after 2:20 hours.
In the quarter-finals, Zverev will face the winner of the match between Damir Dzumhur and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.