Alexander Zverev reaches Paris SFs, ends hopes of Stefanos Tsitsipas of Turin | ATP Tour
Matching Report
Zverev reaches Paris SF, ending Tsitsipas' Turin hopes
Germany advances to the 20th ATP Masters 1000 semi-final
November 01, 2024
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev in action in Paris.
Written by Sam Jacot
Alexander Zverev became the third active player to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to end the Greek's Nitto ATP Finals hopes.
In the latest meeting of his long-running rivalry with Tsitsipas, Zverev saved the one break point he was facing and hit it with fury and purpose in a quick inside position to win 7-5, 6-4 after an hour and 44 minutes. the capital of France.
“I thought the whole match was very good for him,” said Zverev. “He started hot, he had good chances to break me at the beginning. Maybe he didn't break the points but he was smart. I entered the game and found my rhythm and I felt comfortable and happy to win.”
Zverev, who joins Novak Djokovic (78) and Rafael Nadal (76) as 20-time Masters 1000 semi-finalists, also became the first player born in the 1990s to achieve 100 Top 20 victories (100-101). 28-year-old Daniil Medvedev, born in 1996, is second, with a record of 99-73.
Milestone Sascha 🎉 2⃣0⃣ 🎉@AlexZverev becomes the 8th player to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals in the history of the series, defeating Tsitsipas 7-5 6-4! #RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/IR2V4r2Dk7
– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 1, 2024
Zverev is chasing his seventh Masters 1000 title and second of the season, having won in Rome. After improving to 6-10 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Tsitsipas, the German will face either Australian Alex de Minaur or Dane Holger Rune in the semi-finals.
“I felt like I could hit it a lot today and against him, as long as you put it back, he will pay you,” Zverev said of Tsitsipas. “He's a front man who can be aggressive and can go forward. So I was happy to get rid of that.”
Tsitsipas is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but will not qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held from 10-17 November. Eighth-placed De Minaur (3,745 points) and 13th-placed Rune (2,825 points) are in contention for qualification.
Zverev heads to Turin next week and will be chasing his third title at the prestigious year-end event. The 27-year-old, who has already booked his place in northern Italy, won the Nitto ATP Finals in 2018 and 2021.
Did you know?
Zverev is just the eighth player in history to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals. He joined Djokovic (78), Nadal (76), Roger Federer (66), Andy Murray (33), Andre Agassi (32), Pete Sampras (31), Andy Roddick (20).
