Alexander Zverev, world number two, has consolidated his reputation as a consistent performer on the ATP circuit, moving away from the erratic start to his career which saw him exit in the first rounds of the Grand Slams. Since his surprising elimination in the second round of the Australian Open two years ago, Zverev’s trajectory has been remarkably stable, attesting to his position at the top of the rankings.
This Tuesday, in Melbourne, Zverev punched his ticket to the semi-finals for the third time—marking his second consecutive appearance at this stage of the Australian Open. He achieved this feat after a hard-fought victory against Tommy Paul, winning the match with a score of 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1 after a fierce 3-hour fight and 28 minutes on court.
In his post-match interview with Jim Courier at Rod Laver Arena, Zverev reflected honestly on his performance, saying: “To be honest, I should have been down by two sets. He played better than me. I wasn’t playing very well, and he was. Somehow I won the first and second sets, and suddenly I found I was ahead and one set away from victory. »
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Zverev becomes first semi-finalist at Australian Open 2025 after beating Tommy Paul in quarter-final
The 27-year-old German now awaits his next opponent in the semi-finals, which could be either Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz. He acknowledged the caliber of his potential opponents, saying: “They are probably two of the best players to ever play the game. Novak is the best of all time right now. Carlos will be one of them, so it’s a clash of generations. »
Defeating Paul, the 27-year-old American ranked 11th in the world, was no easy task for Zverev, having lost in their two previous meetings. However, this victory marks Zverev’s 30th success in this tournament, making him the German with the most victories in the history of the Australian Open, surpassing Boris Becker. He is now tied with compatriot Tommy Haas for the number of semi-finals reached at Melbourne Park and is also the second active player with the most Grand Slam semi-final appearances (9), tied with Daniil Medvedev and Stan Wawrinka, behind the legendary Djokovic, who has 49—potentially 50 in the near future.
