MELBOURNE: Alexander Zverev said Tuesday he believes he can reach the Australian Open final for the first time and is primed for a “very intense and high-level” clash to get there – with Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz standing in his way.
The German battled into the semi-finals in Melbourne for a second straight year with victory over Tommy Paul, edging closer to his maiden Grand Slam title.
The world number two came good when it mattered in two tiebreaks on a hot and windy day for a 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/0), 2-6, 6-1 victory over the 12th-seeded American.
Zverev, 27, also reached the semis in 2020, losing to Dominic Thiem, and last year he crashed to Daniil Medvedev in five sets after holding a 2-0 lead.
Now into the last four of a Grand Slam for the ninth time, Zverev has never been able to be crowned champion in a decade of trying.
He will need to beat 10-time Melbourne winner Djokovic or Spanish third seed Alcaraz to reach Sunday’s final.
“I’m going to prepare myself for a tough battle. I’m going to prepare myself for a very intense and high-level match,” he said.
“I know I have the level. I’ve beaten them before. Hopefully I can do that again in two days’ time.
“You’re not going to get to the semis of a Grand Slam by not deserving to be there and not playing great tennis,” he added.
Paul, also 27, earned the first break of the match in game five, but Zverev repelled it to hold serve for 3-2 as the pair went blow for blow.
An unrelenting Paul kept pressing and a smart drop shot gave him three break points at 5-5. Zverev saved two but Paul converted the third when the German netted a backhand.
Undeterred, Zverev struck straight back to take it to a tiebreaker, where he dominated as Paul became frustrated and fumed at the umpire over a disputed let call.
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The American regrouped and a sizzling backhand winner saw him break then hold for a 3-0 lead in the second set.
This time it was Zverev’s turn to lose his cool when the umpire called for a replay due to a feather floating in front of the German as he played a shot on break point.
“C’mon, that is unbelievable on break point,” he shouted, before taking out his fury on Paul by breaking back to love.
It went to another tiebreak, where Paul once again went missing.
But Paul broke early in set three and again as the Zverev serve misfired to take it to a fourth set.
There Zverev raced 5-0 clear as Paul wilted, sealing the win with an ace.
“To be honest, I should have been down two sets to love,” said Zverev, who is bidding to become the first German man to win a Slam since Boris Becker in 1996.
“But I somehow won the first set, somehow won the second.
“And the fourth set was definitely the best that I played.”
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