MADRID: Second seed Alexander Zverev is one win away from his third Masters 1000 title after defeating Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.
The German world No.3 utilized his experience to tame his 19-year-old opponent, who had previously only ever won one tour match on the clay prior to this week. It is the second time that he got the better of Shapovalov following their meeting in Montreal last year. This time round, Zverev took control of proceedings. Claiming 88% of the points behind his first serve and converting all four of his break point chances.
“I played much more aggressive. Started reading his serve a little bit better. I played a good match.” Zverev commented about his latest win.
“If you let him play aggressive, he’s going to punish you a lot. That’s what I did until 4-4 and after that I stepped up and I’m happy with the way I played out.”
In what was an even start to the match by both players, it was Shapovalov’s unforced error count that proved costly during the opening set. Hitting a total of 12 errors to six winners. A determined Zverev seized his opportunity in the ninth game of the match by breaking for 5-4. Serving for the 6-4 lead, he saw three set points come and go before he converted his fourth with a forehand winner directed to the corner of the court.
Dramatically gathering in momentum, Zverev continued to dictate the rallies with his aggressive game play. Forcing Shapovalov to buckle on the Manolo Santana Court. The highly anticipated meeting between the two turned into a one-way Zverev show as he raced through the second set. Grabbing the double break within with a 15-minute period on route to claiming the 58-minute victory.
“I felt like my concentration wasn’t there today.” Shapovalov said afterwards. “I’m not sure if it was the long wait for the match or just a tough week. I didn’t feel comfortable out there, but I’m not taking anything away from him (Zverev). He’s playing great, unbelievable tennis.”
Shapovalov, who could have become the new Canadian No.1 if he won on Saturday, sees a silver lining in his latest loss. He is set to break into the top 30 on Monday for the first time in his career. Meaning that he is on the verge of being seeded at the French Open for the first time in his career.
“It’s another learning experience for me. I don’t make semifinals of these big tournaments every week, so it’s a strange feeling. I’m really happy with how my body held up during the week. I wasn’t mentally all there this week. It was a little bit frustrating, but I’m not going to get too hard on myself.”
In the final Zverev will take on Dominic Thiem, who defeated Kevin Anderson in straight sets earlier in the day. He trails their head-to-head 1-4 with his only victory occurring at the 2016 Beijing Open.
“It’s obviously a great final for the future of tennis.” Said Zverev. “We have played five times against each other when he was already a top 10 player and I was more in the developing stage. “He’s leading the head-to-head, but I’m playing quite well.”
Should Zverev defeat Thiem, he would become only the fifth active player to win three or more titles at Masters level. Joining Rafael Nadal (31), Novak Djokovic (30), Roger Federer (27) and Andy Murray (14).
