Top seed Alexander Zverev overcame Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday to book a place in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters. He will now meet Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced when France’s Arthur Gea retired injured during their quarter-final.
Zverev wins first set after tough early test
Zverev, who is set to finish the season as world number one, was pushed by the Australian’s pace in the opening set. He broke in the fifth game with a run of powerful forehands, then held firm against three consecutive break points after a double-fault.
He claimed the set in the 10th game with a delicate backhand at the net. In the second set he created another break chance in the seventh game and led 4-3 after De Minaur sent a serve into the net.
The 27-year-old Australian fought on for longer, but Zverev sealed the win with his first match point. “Good match for me,” Zverev, 29, said. He added that he was “very satisfied with my level” and called it “a huge step up from the last couple matches.” He had needed three sets to win each of his two previous matches.
Gea retires with muscle problem in quarter-final
Gea, 21, was competing in the biggest match of his career when he quit with muscle trouble. He took a medical timeout for treatment on his lower right side while trailing 1-4 in the first set, then returned to court before ending the match minutes later.
“I felt this morning, during a warm-up, pain in the psoas,” he said, referring to a muscle in the lower back. He said he had received treatment and chose to play despite doubts about his fitness. He explained that he had tried from the start but could not play fully, and that continuing would have been too dangerous late in the season.
“I’m really sad, but it’s the best choice I could do,” said the 56th-ranked player, who was making his first appearance at the ATP 1000 level.
