Miami; Alexander Zverev made it to the semifinals of the ongoing Miami Open, beating Francisco Cerundolo in a dominant fashion, setting up a clash with world number two Jannik Sinner. Zverev outclassed Cerundolo 6-1, 6-2 in straight sets, marking the first time ever he has made it to the Indian Wells and Miami Open semifinals within the same season. This also marks his 25th ATP Masters 1000 semifinal appearance. Speaking on his match with Sinner, Zverev said, as quoted by ATP's official website, "Tomorrow will be the toughest test. I am looking forward to it. I have been feeling quite well, and hopefully it will continue."
Zverev looked in full control throughout the match that lasted just over an hour, and the two-time ATP Finals champion won 84 per cent of his serve points and four out of his seven break points. With this victory, Zverev secured his fourth successive win over the Argentine, finally getting a 4-3 lead over him in the ATP Head to Head series. Previously this year, he had swept him in straight sets during the Australian Open, and across both these meetings in Australia and Miami, Cerundolo did not win more than four games in any set.
Now, Zverev will be paying attention to Sinner, who leads him 7-4 in the rivalry, winning the past six of his matches against him. Previously, he had beaten him in the Indian Wells earlier this month. Zverev has maintained a fine form in this tournament and has not yet faced a break point in three of the four matches. Sinner on the other hand, has secured 30 successive set wins at the ATP Masters level, a record-extending feat he would like to continue in the semis.
"If it pays off fast, it is even better," Zverev spoke of his aggressive playing style. "I was planning on struggling a little bit, but I am feeling well on the court," he added.