Zverev fails in the semifinals: Match point missed in the third set

Toronto. Tennis pro Alexander Zverev missed a place in the final of the Masters tournament in Toronto. The number one seeded German lost to Russian Karen Khachanov 3:6, 6:4, 6:7 (4:7). Zverev missed a match point in the third set and made too many easy errors against an opponent who was himself shaky on several occasions.

Khachanov will face US American Ben Shelton, who beat fellow countryman Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3, in the final of the hard-court tournament in Canada on Thursday (local time), with a total prize pool of around 9.2 million US dollars (around 8 million euros).

Zverev now moves on to the ATP tournament in Cincinnati, his final opportunity to prepare for the US Open in New York. This year, a record total of $90 million (€77.3 million) is up for grabs. As the organizers announced, the Grand Slam tournament remains the most highly endowed event in tennis. The singles winner and the singles champion will each receive $5 million (€4.3 million), up from $3.6 million a year ago.

Zverev returned to the tennis tour in Toronto after a break of about a month. Following his first-round exit at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympic champion had spoken about mental issues, prescribed himself a break, and hadn't participated in any tournaments until the start in Canada.

RND/dpa