Alexander Zverev’s numbers scare Jannik Sinner

The first semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 will be very prestigious. World number 1 Jannik Sinner will face the 2021 champion Alexander Zverev in a match that promises to be very spectacular.

The Italian is not yet in top form after tonsillitis forced him to take the Olympic Games in Parisa decision that has caused much controversy in his country. The 2024 Australian Open champion struggled to Andrei Rublev in the quarterfinals, which made the difference at the end of the second set and the beginning of the third. Jannik took revenge on the Russian, who had defeated him a week ago in Montreal. Sinner will have to raise his level even further today against Zverev, who has a good tennis record on these courts and has caused the Italian problems in the past.

Sascha is the only player who can surpass Sinner in the ATP rankings from now until the US Open, an aspect that makes this match even more important. The German had a hard time against the American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals, but managed to win in the third set and proved to be a great champion. The hope of fans and insiders is that the wind will not ruin the match like yesterday.

Jannik Zondaar vs. Sascha Zverev

The show in Cincinnati has not been exceptional so far due to the speed of the tracks and the difficult weather conditions.

Alexander Zverev is Jannik Sinner’s opponent in the semi-finals in Cincinnati. The German won the battle against Ben Shelton, which lasted 2 hours and 32 minutes, and he took his step before the penultimate act of the North American Masters 1000. A match that started uphill for him, but he managed to patiently recover and earned his sixth personal challenge with the Italian tennis player. The German champion is currently dominating the previous one. 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 outsmarted Sascha.

For the German it is the 19th participation in the semi-final of an event of this size. There are 6 victories, including Cincinnati. in 2021. At 27, he is already in the top 10 of the most played tennis table in this phase, breaking the record of Tomas Berdych And Lleyton Hewittand Andy Roddick to a single length. The Big 3 (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) are unreachable in this ranking. The first overall is 24-time Grand Slam champion and former world number 1 Novak Djokovic at the age of 77.

Very difficult conditions in Cincinnati

Zverev spoke about his victory over Shelton on Tennis TV and pointed out the difficulties he faces playing this round: “It’s very difficult to play with the wind“When you have no rhythm and you’re up against someone who serves like him, it’s very difficult to get into the match. For a set and a half I had no idea what I was doing, so I’m very happy I got through it. It was also not easy to deal with the rain breaks right before the service. These kinds of things take you out of your comfort zone,” he said.

Sinner also had a hard time in his quarterfinal: “It took a lot of mental strength today. The conditions were very tough, a lot of wind. In the first set he started very well and I didn’t play my best tennis, but in the second set I felt like I had a lot of chances. I waited for my chance. I am very happy that I made it to the semi-finals.”

He also added: “I stepped onto the field to make some changes compared to last week, but with this wind it was very difficult to find a good balance. I came onto the field with a clear game plan, but had to adjust it quickly. With this wind the first shot was very difficult, and after that it was difficult 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 semi-final, and this Sunday, I get the chance to show my best tennis against a great server.”

Jannik’s main goal is the US Openwhere he will be one of the big favorites to win. 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 battle over five sets.