Alexander Zverev reaches the SF in Miami for the second time | ATP Tour

Miami

Zverev reaches the SF in Miami for the second time

The German put an end to Marozsan’s dream in the quarterfinals

March 28, 2024

Alexander Zverev has reached at least the quarterfinals in the first two ATP Masters 1000 of the year.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff

Alexander Zverev is getting closer to his best level and the results are supporting the progression of No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who this Thursday booked a place in the semifinals of the Miami Open presented by Itaú.

The German, who plays in Miami with the label of fourth seed, stopped the progression of Fabian Marozsan, the great revelation in South Florida during these two weeks, by winning 6-3, 7-5, in one hour and 37 minutes.

“I’m happy to be back in the last rounds of these tournaments, playing with the best in the world, I think there are only them left,” said Zverev about the rivals already classified for the semifinals. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Zverev made it to the semifinals in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the seventeenth time in his career and for the second time in Miami. And in 2018 he managed to appear in the last round, although he lost in the final against local John Isner.

They are his first semifinals in an ATP Masters 1000 since he did it last August in Cincinnati (l. with Novak Djokovic). To achieve this he had to defeat an opponent who was inspired and against whom he had no record in the Lexus ATP Head2Head.

Despite being No. 57 in the world, Marozsan had already left two Top 10s on the way to the Miami quarterfinals, such as No. 6 seed Holger Rune in the second round and No. 9 Alex de Minaur in fourth round.

But Zverev was not surprised. He jumped onto the court very focused from the beginning and gave no option with his serve. Furthermore, in the rest he was very aggressive, especially in the third game where he created four break point opportunities. He took advantage of the last one to open an advantage on the scoreboard that he confirmed in the ninth game with a new break.

The second set was much closer and the Hungarian demonstrated the arguments that had taken him so far in the tournament. He held out when Zverev pressed his serve, saving a break chance in the third game, and even later it was he who had a chance to take advantage. But both held their serves until, when everything seemed to indicate that it would be decided in the tie-break, the German broke to close out the victory.

It is the third time this season that Zverev has managed to appear among the best four in a tournament. He did it at the Australian Open (l. with Daniil Medvedev) and at the ATP 250 in Los Cabos (l. with Jordan Thompson). Also with his country in the United Cup, the mixed team competition that opens the course in Australia.

But in Miami he will try to take the step that has eluded him alone this year. To reach his first final of 2024 he will have to beat the winner of the match he meets in this Thursday’s second quarterfinal match between No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz and Grigor Dimitrov.