Alexander Zverev is bidding for his seventh Masters 1000 title at the Montreal Open in Canada.
With top seed Jannik Sinner falling early, Daniil Medvedev suffering a shock first round defeat, and Stefanos Tsitsipas being dumped out by world number 576 Kei Nishikori, it’s been upsets galore in Montreal.
Second seed Alexander Zverev on the other hand has looked remarkably cool despite the blustery conditions and the strong whiff of a shock defeat.
With nobody in the top five apart from Zverev remaining in the draw, you might assume the German is primed to start his hard court season off with a bang.
However, Sebastian Korda is arguably having the best time of his life on the blue courts of North America, securing his second ATP single title and the first 500 title at the Washington Open last week.
A smart tactician and in dazzling form, Korda will pose a significant threat to the German in what’s set to be their first career meeting.
Alexander Zverev reveals what he thinks about Sebastian Korda ahead of their quarter-final
With either the injury-hampered Hubert Hurkacz, or Alexei Popyrin, who’s relatively inexperienced in the latter stages of Masters events, waiting in the semi-final, the tournament feels like it’s Zverev’s to lose.
Despite the pair having never played each other, Zverev had nothing but praise for the American.
“I think he’s playing great tennis at the moment,” he said, “He just won Washington right so he must be playing and feeling pretty well.
“He had a great win today against Taylor Fritz, so I’m expecting a tough match, hopefully different conditions, and hopefully it’ll be entertaining to watch.”
With the wind blustering about at the Montreal Open, the pair have both managed to handle the challenging conditions well so far.
Can Sebastian Korda upset Alexander Zverev and book his place in the Montreal semi-finals?
It’s a slightly complicated contest to predict, with Korda in better form, while Zverev returns to full fitness.
The German’s form has seen more ups than downs this season, with an appearance in the finals of the French and Hamburg Open, although Zverev ended up losing both.
Korda’s Washington win was historic for reasons beyond a personal career milestone, with the American winning the title 32 years after his father did.
He’s looking in tantalizing form and with the sigh of relief after going the distance in Washington, it looks to have unlocked a Korda that has been trying to get out for over a couple of years.
While my heart says the American is preparing a storming shock, I think with his experience, Zverev may just have too much match savviness and make his way to the final.
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