It should have been the next step on the way back to the absolute top of the world, but instead Alexander Zverev had to cope with a severe setback on Friday: The German clearly lost to one of his favorite opponents at the clay court tournament in Bastad, Sweden.
Andrey Rublev needed just 1:09 hours to put Alexander Zverev, with whom he has been friends for a long time, in his place with 6: 2 and 6: 3.
Even if Zverev is still looking for consistency after his serious injury at the French Open 2022, the clear bankruptcy against number seven in the world is quite a surprise. In previous six games, Zverev left the field five times as the winner.
However, Rublev won the last duel in Dubai in 2023, Zverev’s successes all date back at least two years.
In Bastad, Zverev struggled against his doubles partner, especially with his second serve, with which he was only able to score a point in five out of 16 cases. For comparison, Rublev won rallies 58 percent of the time when he needed his second service (14 out of 24).
Zverev is still waiting for a big win in 2023
The logical consequence: While Rublev was able to fend off each of Zverev’s two break opportunities, Zverev had to accept a loss of service with three out of five break points.
On Thursday, Zverev caused a sensation by sweeping the Brazilian Thiago Monteiro 6-1 and 6-0 off the court.
The winner of the Argentine duel between Francisco Cerúndolo and Federico Coria is now waiting for Rublev in the semifinals. In the second semi-final, the number one seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud challenges the Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
Meanwhile, Zverev is still waiting for his first final in 2023, and the German has not yet been able to beat a top 10 player this year.