New Delhi:

Alexander Zverev dug deep to stay in the hunt for a third Munich Open title as he edged past Tallon Griekspoor in a dramatic quarter-final on Friday.

The top-seeded German, backed by a vocal home crowd, pulled off a stunning 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 6-4 win to keep alive his dream of matching compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber’s record of three titles at the event.

What next?

This win marks Zverev’s fourth career semi-final at the BMW Open, now upgraded to an ATP 500 event for the first time. He’ll next face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, who got past Zizou Bergs in straight sets.

With Zverev still standing and two exciting semi-finals lined up, fans in Munich are in for a gripping weekend of tennis. The German will aim for the third trophy, having won it in 2017 and 2018.

Momentum swings and crowd support :                       

The early stages saw both players trade heavy blows from the baseline. Griekspoor saved two break points late in the first set and then took charge in the tie-break, grabbing it with four mini-breaks to edge ahead.

He carried that energy into the second set with an early break, but nerves crept in when it mattered most. Serving for the match, the Dutchman delivered a shaky game, allowing Zverev back in.

With the crowd firmly behind him, Zverev looked like a different player from that point. He dominated the second set tiebreak and then secured the only break of the third set in the seventh game, enough to close out the win. Both players ended with 37 winners each, underlining how tight the contest really was.

After the match, the relieved Zverev said, “Finally, I won a close one.”  He added, “I’ve been on the wrong side of these for a while now. Today, I just kept fighting. Even when I was 0-40 down in the third set, I stayed focused. I’m proud of the way I handled the pressure and very happy to be in the semis.”

In what was a see-saw battle lasting over three hours, World No.3 had to survive serious troubles. Griekspoor served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but the 26-year-old refused to go away.

After letting the first set slip in a tightly-contested tiebreaker, Zverev showed resilience and composure, especially during crunch moments in the second and third sets.

“In Indian Wells, I was serving for the match and got broken. Then he was serving for the match and lost serve. It’s always unpredictable with us,” Sascha Zverev said, smiling after the match.

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