Masters in Cincinnati: Alexander Zverev reaches quarterfinals

Cincinnati. Tennis pro Alexander Zverev is in the quarterfinals of the Masters in Cincinnati. His opponent Karen Khachanov was forced to retire in the second set with Zverev leading 7-5, 3-0. The two had faced each other just last week in the semifinals of the Masters in Toronto, where the Russian beat Zverev despite having a match point.

"I played much more aggressively," said Zverev. "All the best to Karen, he's in the form of his life, and I hope it's nothing serious. Hopefully, it's just a bit of fatigue. When he comes back, he'll be a force to be reckoned with at the US Open." The match ended after just 70 minutes, when Khachanov couldn't continue and waved apologetically to the crowd.

Zverev had to play two matches on Wednesday (local time). His third-round match against American Brandon Nakashima was interrupted the previous evening due to a thunderstorm with the score at 6-4, 5-4 and Zverev serving – and was resumed the following morning. "It's never nice to end the game at 5-4 when you're serving for the match," said Zverev. "But I told myself my opponent was in a worse situation. And so it was a good day at work, two wins in one day."

At the hard-court tournament in Cincinnati, with a total purse of approximately $9.2 million (approximately €7.9 million), Zverev will face either American Ben Shelton or Czech Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals. The Masters in Cincinnati is considered preparation for the US Open. The final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season begins on August 24.

RND/dpa