Alexander Zverev Enters Toronto Masters Semifinals, Will Face...
Alexander Zverev reached his 21st Masters 1000 semifinal by defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Toronto Masters.
Alexander Zverev reached his 21st Masters 1000 semifinal on Monday by ending Alexei Popyrin's Canadian title defence with a 6-7 (8/10), 6-4, 6-3 victory at the ATP Toronto Masters. The final game, with Zverev serving at 5-3, was interrupted by shouts from an unruly fan who was subsequently removed by security.
The distraction broke a streak of 14 consecutive points on serve, causing Zverev to double-fault when he resumed serving. He concluded the evening with a sharp volley winner at the net on his first match point.
Zverev secured his 40th win of the year in just over two and a half hours. The world number three had won the tournament in 2017 but had not progressed past the quarterfinals in Canada since.
'After losing the first set, I had to remind myself that we were both playing well," said the holder of seven Masters trophies. 'I made one or two mistakes at the end of the first set, but it was a high-level match. I felt that if I kept playing well, I would get my chances — and I did. I can't complain about the second and third sets."
Zverev will compete in the unusually scheduled Thursday final against three-time semi-finalist Karen Khachanov, who defeated young American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
'It was a very close, competitive match," Khachanov said. 'I had to come back from some tough situations. How you handle that mentally is important. I was glad to close it out in the second set. I had to try and not give him the opportunity to step in and attack; that's what I did today."
Zverev has won five of the seven matches he has played against Khachanov.
Popyrin and Zverev battled throughout the evenly matched 71-minute opening set, leading to a tiebreaker.
Zverev failed to convert on two winning opportunities, but Popyrin succeeded on his second chance with a net cord winner that left his opponent stranded at the baseline. The German started to turn the tide in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead before the Australian levelled at 4-all.
Zverev pulled ahead to tie the match at one set apiece, breaking for 6-4 as Popyrin sent a volley wide. The top seed began the final set with a 3-0 lead, advancing to the tournament's final four at the pre-US Open event.
Popyrin remains winless against Zverev, having lost all four of their encounters.
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August 05, 2025, 13:37 IST
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