German world number three Alexander Zverev battled back from a set down to defeat Tallon Griekspoor on Friday, securing his place in the semi-finals of the Munich Open for the first time in seven years. The top seed eventually prevailed 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, staying on course for a third title at the tournament he won in 2017 and 2018.
Griekspoor, who had knocked Zverev out of Indian Wells last month, looked poised to repeat the feat when he served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. However, a shaky service game allowed Zverev to break back and force a tiebreak, which he won to keep his hopes alive.
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"At the end of the day, I'm very happy to have won the match. He played very well tactically and made it very difficult for me," Zverev told Sky Germany, admitting he was "totally mentally exhausted".
"Today I had to somehow get through. Hopefully, I'll play better tennis tomorrow."
Zverev will next face Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, who secured his semi-final berth with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in Friday's last quarter-final.
If Zverev progresses to the final, he will be playing for the title on his 28th birthday on Sunday.
Joining the German in the last four is world number 15 Ben Shelton, who eased past Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-3. The 22-year-old American will now take on Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, ranked 22nd, for a place in the final.
It marks Shelton’s second semi-final appearance of the season, following his run at the Australian Open in January, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
After his win, Shelton located his father Bryan in the crowd and addressed him with a smile: "We're back, big dog."
"I feel pretty good moving around, sliding, getting into drop shots, defending, playing offensively. I was kind of like a deer on ice a couple of years ago, but I've evolved for sure," he said.
"I'm not the player I want to be yet but I'm working towards it for sure."
Cerundolo reached the semi-finals with a straight-sets win over David Goffin, 6-2, 6-4, on the Munich clay.
Griekspoor, who had knocked Zverev out of Indian Wells last month, looked poised to repeat the feat when he served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. However, a shaky service game allowed Zverev to break back and force a tiebreak, which he won to keep his hopes alive.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
"At the end of the day, I'm very happy to have won the match. He played very well tactically and made it very difficult for me," Zverev told Sky Germany, admitting he was "totally mentally exhausted".
"Today I had to somehow get through. Hopefully, I'll play better tennis tomorrow."
Zverev will next face Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, who secured his semi-final berth with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in Friday's last quarter-final.
If Zverev progresses to the final, he will be playing for the title on his 28th birthday on Sunday.
Joining the German in the last four is world number 15 Ben Shelton, who eased past Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-3. The 22-year-old American will now take on Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, ranked 22nd, for a place in the final.
It marks Shelton’s second semi-final appearance of the season, following his run at the Australian Open in January, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
After his win, Shelton located his father Bryan in the crowd and addressed him with a smile: "We're back, big dog."
"I feel pretty good moving around, sliding, getting into drop shots, defending, playing offensively. I was kind of like a deer on ice a couple of years ago, but I've evolved for sure," he said.
"I'm not the player I want to be yet but I'm working towards it for sure."
Cerundolo reached the semi-finals with a straight-sets win over David Goffin, 6-2, 6-4, on the Munich clay.
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