Alexander Zverev made his third consecutive quarter-final at the Halle Open after defeating Lorenzo Sonego over three sets.
The world number three defeated Sonego in a comeback win after the Italian took the first set, sealing the third set in a tiebreaker, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6.
Zverev lost in the Stuttgart Open final against Taylor Fritz and is still in pursuit of his first ATP grass-court title in Halle.
He’s one step closer to the feat after his triumph over Sonego, which he admitted didn’t come easily.
Alexander Zverev’s reaction to his win over Lorenzo Sonego
After the match, Zverev said: “Well, to be honest, for most of the match I thought I was playing Ivo Karlovic, ten years ago.
“I didn’t know what to do on his serve, to be honest, it was so difficult to read, so difficult to return for me.
“In the end, I played almost a perfect tiebreak, which saved me, so I’m happy about that and moving on to tomorrow.
“I had to be the one who was more aggressive than him – when he’s aggressive, it is so difficult to win.
“He was that for a very long time in the match. It turned around a little bit at the end, but again, just happy about the match. But he deserves a lot of credit for how he played.”
Alexander Zverev’s record at the Halle Open throughout his career
Zverev has enjoyed some deep runs at the Halle Open over the years, with his best finishes coming in 2016 and 2017, when he made the final both years.
In 2016, he beat Roger Federer in the semi-final of the tournament, before losing to compatriot Florian Mayer in the final.
The following year, Federer got his revenge when the two met at the last stage of the event, defeating the German in straight sets.
Since then, Zverev has made two appearances in the semi-final, the most recent of which came last season, where he bowed out to Hubert Hurkacz.
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