Alexander Zverev slips into the Top 10 with the most CF appearances in Masters 1000 | ATP Tour

Roma

Zverev sneaks into the Top 10 with the most CF in Masters 1000

The German will play against Fritz in the quarterfinals in Rome

January 01, 0001

Alexander Zverev, at 27 years old, confirmed at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia that the ATP Masters 1000 are a territory in which he feels especially good. And the German got a ticket this Tuesday for the quarterfinals, a round that he has played 28 times in tournaments in this category.

The No. 3 seed in Rome defeated Nuno Borges in the fourth round, 6-2, 7-5, in one hour and 26 minutes, allowing him to advance to the tournament’s top eight for the third time this season in an ATP Masters 1000 (he also did it in Indian Wells and Miami).

However, the historic figure he broke at the Foro Italico against the Portuguese was to enter the Top 10 in history of players with the most appearances in the ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals, equaling Michael Chang’s mark (28).

Most CF in ATP Masters 1000 (since 1990)
1. Rafael Nadal: 99

2. Novak Djokovic: 94

3. Roger Federer: 87

4. Andy Murray: 51

5. Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Pete Sampras: 45

8. Andre Agassi: 44

9. Andy Roddick: 35

10. Michael Chang, Alexander Zverev: 28

The German stopped Borges’ progress in the first duel that the Lexus ATP Head2Head recorded between the two. The Portuguese, one of the surprises of the tournament, was looking for the first victory of a player from his country against a Top 5 since Joao Sousa defeated Zverev in Indian Wells 2018.

But Zverev prevented it with a solid performance that he resolved with nine direct serves, 81% of points won with the first serve and converting four break points in the five opportunities he had. This sealed his pass to the quarterfinals in Rome.

In the quarterfinals he will face Taylor Fritz, who this Tuesday opened the day with a creditable victory against Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-7(11), 6-1. The American appeared among the top eight in Rome for the first time in his five appearances.

“Honestly, I feel like normally in these situations, I would be a lot more tense and nervous, but I felt pretty calm,” Fritz acknowledged when asked about the 24-point tie-break in the second set. “I think it was hard, because the location of the sun throughout the match, and in the tie-break it was the first time I did poorly. So I made a double fault.”

“I had a very good opportunity on a return on the second serve, with match point, and he hit the body and a little slower than other times. I shocked her a little earlier trying to anticipate. “It’s easy to sit there and think about it for the entire third set, but I did a good job of putting it aside and not thinking about that rest on the second serve,” he added.

Fritz finished the match saving all 11 break points he conceded, according to Infosys ATP statistics. The No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings also hit 13 aces to leave the Lexus ATP Head2Head against Dimitrov on his side 2-1.

“Sometimes you have that feeling, you feel very good and you are comfortable under pressure, and sometimes you don’t,” said Fritz in relation to his good performance in the important points against the Bulgarian. “It comes and goes, today I felt calm throughout the game.”

The American reached the quarterfinals of an ATP Masters 1000 for the eleventh time in his career (4-6) and for the second time this season (he also did it in Madrid), becoming the first player from his country to reach the quarterfinals in the three tournaments in this category on clay.