Tennis: Zverev reaches quarterfinals in Toronto – opponent withdraws

Alexander Zverev defeated Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo at the Toronto Masters , who had to retire due to injury. Zverev is now in the quarterfinals. When the match ended prematurely, he was leading 1-0, having won the first set 6-4. It was his 501st victory on the ATP Tour. After Cerundolo's retirement, the German embraced and consoled his opponent.

In the quarterfinals of the hard-court tournament, which has a total purse of approximately $9.2 million (around €8 million), Zverev will now face Alexei Popyrin. The Australian defeated Dane Holger Rune. "He's a superb player and plays his best tennis here in Canada," Zverev said of Popyrin.

Zverev, who is significantly higher ranked at third in the world rankings, hadn't won any of his three previous duels with Cerundolo. This time, Zverev only had slight problems at the very beginning. He lost his serve early on, but promptly broke back and won the first set after 46 minutes. He started the second set with a break, after which the Argentinian retired.

Zverev took a break from tournaments in July. After his first-round exit at Wimbledon, he reported mental health issues. He then traveled to Mallorca and trained at Rafael Nadal's academy with his uncle Toni. The Masters in Canada marks the start of Zverev's preparation for the US Open in New York (starting August 24). Zverev won the tournament, which alternates with the women's tournaments in Toronto and Montreal, in 2017, defeating Swiss Roger Federer in the final.