Last year’s US Open champion Alexander Zverev hit 44 winners to defeat number 23 seed Dusan Lajovic 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 after 2 hours and 21 minutes to advance to the Australian Open quarter finals for the fifth time in his career. The 2018 ATP Finals champion scored his 50th Grand Slam match win.
Lajovic opened up a 2-0 lead with a break in the second game of the first set. Zverev recovered from a slow start by breaking twice in the third and seventh games to take a 4-3 lead. Lajovic fended off a set point at 3-5 with a backhand winner. Zverev served out the win on his second set point in the 10th game.
Both players traded breaks in the 11th and 12th games of the second set en route to the tie-break. Zverev earned his third mini-break with a mid-court forehand winner to close out the tie-break 7-5.
Zverev converted his second break point in the fourth game after four errors from Lajovic to open up a 3-1 lead. Lajovic saved three break points in the fourth game to hold serve at deuce, but Zverev closed it out on his second match point with his 15th ace.
Zverev has improved his winning record in head-to-head matches against Lajovic to 3-0. The German player set up a quarter final against Novak Djokovic, who beat Milos Raonic 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-1 6-4.
“Today was a pretty good match, much colder than the other days. I am very happy with a win and it could have gone either way early on. It wasn’t easy”, said Zverev.
