Alexander Zverev booked his spot in the National Bank Open semi-finals in Toronto with a hard-fought victory over Alexei Popyrin. The German star overcame a first-set loss to defeat the defending champion 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3.
The match wasn't without its drama. Zverev had to deal with an unruly fan who was eventually ejected from the stadium. After securing the win, Zverev waved goodbye to the heckler, a gesture that was widely praised on social media.
"Love players giving it back to noisy hecklers," one X user wrote.
Zverev himself acknowledged the high level of play, saying, "I had to tell myself, even though I lost the first set, I thought we were both playing actually quite well. I did one or two mistakes in the end [of the tie-break], and I was very unlucky with the net cord on set point. But all in all, I thought it was a high level, and if I continue playing that way, I'm going to get my chances — and that's what I did."
This victory marks Zverev's 21st Masters 1000 semi-final appearance. He joins Novak Djokovic as the only active male players to have reached 75 tour-level semi-finals. He also tied Grigor Dimitrov for the most career match wins at ATP Masters 1000 events among players born since 1990.
Zverev will now face the winner of the match between Karen Khachanov and Alex Michelsen for a place in the final.
Key Moments from the Match:
- Popyrin won a tight first set tie-break 10-8.
- Zverev rallied to win the second set 6-4, breaking Popyrin's serve.
- Zverev dominated the third set, taking an early 3-0 lead.
- A heckler was ejected from the stadium during a crucial game.
What's Next for Zverev?
All eyes will be on Zverev as he aims to continue his strong run at the National Bank Open. A victory would be a significant boost ahead of the US Open.