Zverev steps in after an advertising board lands on a spectator at Halle
HALLE, Germany (AP) — Alexander Zverev and an umpire helped out with ice after a spectator was struck by a falling advertising board during his match at the Halle grass-court tournament Wednesday.
The board fell from the upper tier of the stadium into the crowd on the lower tier and struck a female spectator, organizers said, adding that Zverev and umpire Renaud Lichtenstein rushed over with ice to treat her.
'Something like this has never happened in the 32-year history of our tournament. We deeply regret the incident,' tournament director Ralf Weber told German news agency dpa, which reported that Weber had given the spectator a free pass for next year's tournament.
She was taken to a hospital as a precaution but did not appear to be badly hurt, dpa reported.
It didn't stop Zverev from racing to a 6-1, 6-2 win over American Marcos Giron in the first round of the tournament, a warm-up for Wimbledon. It continued the German player's strong form on grass after he was the runner-up in Stuttgart last week.
Also Wednesday at Halle, third-seeded Daniil Medvedev won 6-2, 7-5 over Quentin Halys and eighth-seeded Karen Khachanov won 7-5, 6-3 against Zizou Bergs in the first round.
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It took time, but the young forward began to hit his stride as that season came to a close, scoring or assisting in each of Frankfurt's final five league games. With the move made permanent in the summer, Ekitike picked up where he left off in the new season, dovetailing nicely in a strike partnership with Marmoush at the top of a quick counter-attacking side. No team generated more expected goals (xG) from Opta-defined fast breaks than coach Dino Topmoller's lads across Europe's top four leagues last season, and Ekitike was central to most of those moves. His profile is suited to exploiting the space on the transition: a rangy dribbler out wide with a knack for arriving in dangerous areas to finish. He was the only centre-forward in Europe's top five leagues last season to take over 200 touches in the opposition penalty box and to carry the ball into it at least 50 times — he is both a provider and a poacher when his team can move quickly upfield. 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With space to gallop into, Ekitike's ball-carrying can make a huge impact — Mbappe, now at Real Madrid, was the only centre-forward to complete more dribbles of 10+ yards that led to a team shot in 2024-25. As we can see from his forward carries map below, Ekitike is very happy to drift across the final third to get on the ball, equally lively on both flanks and very dynamic from his striker's role. Ekitike sometimes plays more like a winger than a centre-forward, his long, lean frame and desire to dribble drawing comparisons to Alexander Isak. Much like the Newcastle and Sweden striker, he can produce something from very little, able to slalom between defenders and find the corners from distance. Advertisement Here against Bayern Munich, for example, Ekitike receives a crisp pass with his back to goal, before taking a decisive touch to cut inside and wriggling between two defenders. 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United's interest in him makes sense, given head coach Ruben Amorim's preference for tall, focal-point centre-forwards who can run the channels and bring others into play, while his natural positivity could flourish at the Old Trafford club with the similarly ambitious Bruno Fernandes moving the ball up to him quickly. We shouldn't discount Liverpool either — ruthless on the break, and potentially in the market for a No 9 should Darwin Nunez leave. If anything could push United into making Frankfurt an offer, the fear of missing out on him to their bitter rivals might well spur them on. Ekitike isn't just about open spaces and tricks on the wing — he has an eye for a killer pass in the final third. His technical ability often translates to sharp interplay around the penalty area, while his agility, as well as his awareness under pressure, sees him take some surprising touches at crucial moments, including a cheeky back-heeled assist after bursting into the box against Borussia Monchengladbach in 2023-24. Advertisement Here, against Werder Bremen, he originally looks to dart between the two centre-backs to attack the near post in frame one. Nathaniel Brown's cross is pulled behind him, but Ekitike reacts quickly to halt his forward momentum, sort out his feet and lay the ball off for Mario Gotze to score, his physical dominance clear as he holds off a defender with ease. Similarly, against Hoffenheim, Ekitike produces a deft first-time pass on the break. As Marmoush races forward down the right, he drops off to receive the pass, before sharply twisting his hips and punching the ball into the path of an onrushing Hugo Larsson to score. Though it can sometimes look unorthodox, Ekitike is clearly very intelligent around the box, with the variety of his link-up play repeatedly catching defenders off-guard. When he does attack the box, it's that raw pace and his eye for goal that gets him into position before defenders. Only four players — Mbappe, Barcelona duo Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah — generated more combined expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xAG) in 2024-25, outlining his double threat. A closer look at his shotmap shows an ability to sniff out a chance in the penalty area, with eight goals from inside the six-yard box including powerful headers, bundled finishes and tap-ins after well-timed runs. Something else that stands out is Ekitike's underperformance relative to his expected goals. While his output was excellent in a Frankfurt team tailored to his strengths on the counter, able to fashion chances at a healthy rate, there are concerns that his shooting technique might not guarantee goals over the long run, particularly if opportunities start to dry up. Ekitike's ball-striking is not hugely consistent, and for every time he pulls a rabbit out of the hat with a cleanly-hit finish, there are instances where he struggles to wrap his body around the ball. Against Gladbach below, for example, it gets stuck under his feet. It's harder for such a tall striker to adjust his body, but he persists and goes for the shot, but is unable to get enough power behind his effort. Putting Ekitike at the top of a more structured, possession-based side, where the centre-forward is less likely to have as much freedom to roam, banks on his instinctive finishing and technique in tight spaces to hold up. He doesn't often play against lower blocks, and isn't always able to rely on his ball-striking — the way former team-mate Marmoush can — to make the difference in stodgier games. His back-to-goal play is generally good, able to hold defenders off and link the play with one-touch passes and simple lay-offs. That said, a move to Chelsea — unless he was to play off their new No 9 Liam Delap — risks curbing the most natural part of his game. At full flow, Ekitike is a delight to watch, floating across the attacking third with the grace that is unexpected of a player with his build. But he is at his most destructive when he moves with the game, switching positions, picking his moments to hang back, attack the box, or drift out wide to drive the team up the pitch. Another season in Frankfurt — which is an ideal place for him to flourish — might provide more evidence that his game can translate to other leagues.
