The first semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 will be very prestigious. World number 1 Jannik Sinner will face 2021 champion Alexander Zverev in a match that promises to be very spectacular.
The Italian is not yet at the top of his form after tonsillitis that forced him to skip the Paris Olympics, a decision that has generated many controversies in his country. The 2024 Australian Open champion struggled to defeat Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, making a difference at the end of the second set and the beginning of the third. Jannik took revenge on the Russian, who had beaten him in Montreal a week ago. Sinner will have to raise his level even more today against Zverev, who has a good tennis record on these courts and has often put the Italian in trouble in the past.
Sascha is the only player who could surpass Sinner in the ATP rankings from now on to the US Open, an aspect that makes this match even more important. The German struggled against American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals, but managed to prevail in the third set proving to be a great champion. The hope of fans and insiders is that the wind does not spoil the match as it did yesterday.
Jannik Sinner vs. Sascha Zverev
The show in Cincinnati has not been exceptional so far due to the speed of the courts and the difficult weather conditions.
Alexander Zverev will be the opponent of Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals in Cincinnati. The German won the battle against Ben Shelton, which lasted 2 hours and 32 minutes and he took off his pass for the penultimate act of the North American Masters 1000. A match that started uphill for him, but he patiently managed to straighten out, earning his sixth personal challenge with the Italian tennis player. The German champion dominates for now the previous ones. There are 4 victories for him. The only defeat dates back to Roland Garros, in 2020. The last challenge was almost a year ago, when they met at the Us Open and had the better of Sascha.
For the German it is the 19th participation in the semi-finals of an event of this magnitude. There are 6 victories, including Cincinnati. in 2021. At just 27, he is already in the top 10 of the most-played tennis table in this phase, equaling the record of Tomas Berdych and Lleyton Hewitt, and heeling Andy Roddick to a single length. The Big 3 (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) are unreachable in this ranking. First overall is 24-time Grand Slam champion and former World No.1 Novak Djokovic at 77.
Very difficult conditions in Cincinnati
Zverev spoke about his win over Shelton on Tennis TV, pointing out the difficulties he faces in getting to play this round: “It’s very difficult to play with the wind. When you have no rhythm and face someone who serves as he does, it is very difficult to get into the game. For a set and a half I had no idea what I was doing, so I’m very happy that I managed to get through it. It wasn’t easy either to deal with the rain breaks just before serving. This kind of thing takes you out of your comfort zone,” he said.
Sinner also had a lot of difficulties during his quarterfinal match: “It took a lot of mental strength today. It was very tough conditions, very windy. In the first set he started very well and I didn’t play my best tennis but in the second set, I felt I had a lot of chances. I waited for my chance. I am very happy to make the semis.”
He also added: “I stepped on the court trying to make some changes compared to last week, but with this wind, it was very challenging to find a good balance. I came onto the court with a clear game plan, but quickly had to alter it. With this wind, the first shot was very difficult, and after that, it was challenging to play. I’m not where I would like to be, but I’m happy that I’m fighting, and my mental strength is there. Positive things are happening. I’m in the semifinals, and this Sunday, I’ll have the opportunity to showcase my best tennis against a great server.”
Jannik’s main objective is the US Open, where he will be one of the big favorites for the victory. Sinner’s best performance in New York so far was the quarterfinals in 2022. Last year, the Italian ace was defeated by Sascha Zverev in the round of five after a five-set battle.