Alexander Zverev

[arti]

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

Will Zverev Repeat? Alexander Zverev won his third title on home soil on Sunday and he will go for the Cologne double this week. The German, who beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the bett1HULKS Indoors final, will play Fernando Verdasco or John Millman in his opener. Last week, he defeated Verdasco in straight sets in the second round.

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[Damian]

From Opponents To Students: Felix & Zverev Learn From NHL MVP Draisaitl

Spoiler:

Trio enjoys hockey-tennis crossover before bett1HULKS Championship
Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev clashed in the bett1HULKS Indoors final on Sunday. One day later, they both were taken to school.

Auger-Aliassime and Zverev got together in Cologne to learn from NHL Most Valuable Player Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers.

“It was good fun to meet Leon, the MVP this year in the league. [It is cool that he is] playing for a Canadian team, also,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I love to meet athletes from other sports, especially hockey. Myself, I play a little bit for fun in the winter over there [in Canada]. It’s cool to experience it, see them from up close, see how they do and it was impressive to see him take a couple shots at the net.”

Leon Draisaitl, <a href='/en/players/alexander-zverev/z355/overview'>Alexander Zverev</a>
Photo Credit: bett1HULKS Championship/Paul Zimmer
Draisaitl has scored 93 goals and tallied 215 points for his team during the past two seasons, in which he has played 153 games. The hockey superstar was excited to interact with two of the world’s best tennis players. The trio shot pucks at small openings in a hockey net and also played tennis.

“They’re so good, they’re the best in the world. It’s not really my level here, but all in all it was a lot of fun,” Draisaitl said. “It’s fun to do it this way. Obviously as an athlete you always love watching other sports and it’s great to see those two. They’re obviously very successful. It was fun to meet them and had a good day.”

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German No. 1 Zverev enjoyed spending time with his countryman, Draisaitl, before beginning his run at this week’s bett1HULKS Championship. Zverev triumphed at the same venue last week.

“It’s always great to meet other athletes, especially somebody who has won the MVP in such a big sport as ice hockey and the NHL,” Zverev said. “It was great fun, but I’ll definitely stick to tennis.”

Auger-Aliassime and Zverev will put away the hockey sticks for now and refocus on tennis. Fifth-seeded Felix will play Egor Gerasimov in the second round, and Zverev will face John Millman or Fernando Verdasco.

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[Damian]

Zverev Brothers Roll At Home In Cologne

Spoiler:

Purcell/Saville continue London chase
Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev lost in the first round in Cologne last week. Their second try at the same venue was the charm on Tuesday at the bett1HULKS Championship.

The Zverev brothers defeated Dominic Inglot and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4, 6-2 in 71 minutes to reach the second round. The Germans saved all three break points they faced and won 43 per cent of their return points to triumph. The unseeded duo advances to face back-to-back Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies or Spaniards Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Fernando Verdasco.

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Australian Open finalists Max Purcell and Luke Saville continued their push for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals with a 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 10-7 victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Robert Lindstedt.

Four spots remain in the doubles field at The O2. Purcell and Saville began the week in ninth place in the FedEx ATP Battle For London.

FedEx ATP Battle For London: Doubles Standings

Team Points
5. Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic 2,145
6. John Peers/Michael Venus 1,810*
7. Jurgen Melzer/ Edouard Roger-Vasselin 1,535
8. Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski 1,500
9. Max Purcell/Luke Saville 1,425*
10. Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah 1,350*Points entering this week's play
Also in Cologne, Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan defeated Tomislav Brkic and Franko Skugor 6-3, 6-4.

Third Seeds Eliminated In Antwerp
Pablo Andujar and Sander Arends upset third seeds Fabrice Martin and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7(6), 6-2, 10-5 to reach the second round of the European Open. Britons Daniel Evans and Cameron Norrie also advanced with a 4-6, 6-3, 12-10 win against Americans Taylor Fritz and Nicholas Monroe.
In the third Antwerp doubles match of the day, Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez ousted Frederik Nielsen and Tim Puetz 7-5, 6-2.

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[Lucas]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

The Special Surprise Zverev Got After His Cologne Win

Spoiler:

World No. 7 will next face eighth seed Adrian Mannarino
It might be a new week for Alexander Zverev in Cologne, but the home favorite continued winning on Wednesday. And after the top seed defeated Australian John Millman 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the bett1HULKS Championship, Zverev got a special surprise.

Tournament Dog Barnie strolled onto the court to congratulate Zverev during the German's on-court interview. Barnie has kept a close eye on the action since last week’s event began.

“Now my dogs will be jealous!” Zverev said, cracking a laugh.


The match itself was far more tense, as Zverev hit 10 double faults. But he held his nerve under pressure to win his fifth consecutive match in Cologne after triumphing at last week's bett1HULKS Indoors. The recent US Open finalist has now won 11 of his past 12 matches on hard courts.
“In the first set I thought I played flawlessly, but then I wasn’t focussed at the beginning of the second [set] and the match could turn around,” Zverev said. “John is someone who has beaten top players before… you’ve got to play until the end and I thought I did a poor job serving today. But I got the win somehow.”

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The German knew he faced a tough foe in the unrelenting Millman, who pushed him to five sets at Roland Garros last year. Zverev had to dig deep again, overcoming second-serve difficulties in the third set to triumph after one hour and 55 minutes.

The 23-year-old earned the decisive break at 2-1 in the third set, crushing an inside out forehand and yelling ‘Come on!’ as a Millman backhand sailed long. As always, the Aussie battled until the last ball, putting pressure on the German. Zverev faced three break points at 4-2, but escaped the situation to prevail. Last week, Alexander’s older brother, Mischa Zverev, beat Millman 6-1, 6-4.

“I think my brother is much better than me, so that’s why he won more easily,” Zverev said, cracking a laugh. “I think John is someone who needs rhythm himself and against a baseliner, against a hard hitter, for me the harder you hit the ball against him the better it is for him. For me, it’s not easy to play slowly, so I think my game suits him quite well.”

Zverev will next face eighth seed Adrian Mannarino, who ousted Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 18 minutes. The top seed has won all three of their previous ATP Head2Head clashes, including a four-set victory at this year’s US Open.


Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor, beat American Steve Johnson 7-6(3), 6-3 to reach the last eight.

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[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Zverev Continues Quest For Cologne Double

Spoiler:

German to play Sinner in semi-finals

Alexander Zverev overcame Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 at the bett1HULKS Championship on Friday to move one step closer to his second Cologne title in as many weeks.

Last week’s bett1HULKS Indoors champion served for the match at 5-3 in the second set but was pushed to a decider for the second straight match in Cologne. Zverev landed 16 aces and saved five of seven break points to extend his winning streak to six matches and improve his record this season to 21-8.

“I am in the semi-finals in back-to-back weeks,” said Zverev in an on-court interview. “I won last week and I hope I can repeat it this week. It is nice to play in front of a little bit of a crowd. They got me through it as well.”


The US Open finalist took his forehand up the line and proved more consistent in baseline rallies to snatch a late break in the first set, but was forced to a decider after Mannarino fired aggressive returns and mixed play with drop shots to recover from 3-5 down. Zverev held his nerve to claim the only break of the third set at 3-3 and moved to the net to book his place in the semi-finals.

“I didn’t think I played a bad game at 5-3 [in the second set],” said Zverev. “I double-faulted once but he actually returned unbelievably. On break point, I hit a 222km/h [serve] down the T, not too far from the line and he approached to the net. It is tough to play against that sometimes.

“He is a very talented player, he has unbelievable hands and for him to come back from that he deserved to win the match as much as I did.”

You May Also Like: Schwartzman On Comeback Win: ‘Tennis Is Crazy’
The 12-time ATP Tour titlist extends his unbeaten ATP Head2Head record against Mannarino to four matches. It is Zverev’s second win against the Frenchman since the ATP Tour resumption, following a four-set victory at last month’s US Open.

Standing between Zverev and a second final in Cologne is Jannik Sinner. The #NextGenATP Italian recovered after losing eight straight games to work his way past former World No. 6 Gilles Simon 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.

“He didn’t give me any angles and played down the middle. He was very solid and I tried to play more on his forehand,” said Sinner, in an on-court interview. “Losing eight games [in a row] can happen, but next time I need to find a solution earlier. He played far better than me in the second set. I got a little emotional in the third set, but I wanted to show that I wanted to win.”

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Sinner regained the momentum by pushing Simon deep behind the baseline in the third game of the third set and decisively broke at 3-3. The 19-year-old saved three break points when serving for his 13th match win of 2020 and closed out with a crosscourt backhand volley.

Sinner enters his semi-final clash against Zverev with a 1-0 ATP Head2Head record. The wild card overcame Zverev in four sets to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros earlier this month.

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[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Zverev Closes In On Cologne Double

Spoiler:

German improves to 22-8 this year

Alexander Zverev extended his winning streak in Cologne to seven matches on Saturday with a 7-6(3), 6-3 semi-final victory against Jannik Sinner at the bett1HULKS Championship.

The World No. 7 closed the match in fine form on serve, as he won 82 per cent of first-serve points in the second set (18/22) to prevail in one hour and 48 minutes. Zverev is attempting to clinch two titles in as many weeks in Cologne after lifting the bett1HULKS Indoors trophy at this venue last week.

With his 22nd win of 2020, Zverev gains revenge for his most recent loss. Earlier this month, the US Open runner-up lost his first ATP Head2Head contest against Sinner in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros.

"I was playing a player I just lost to at Roland Garros. That was still in the back of my head. I was not going to lose today," said Zverev in an on-court interview.


The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion, who will compete at The O2 for the fourth consecutive year from 15-22 November, will face Diego Schwartzman or Felix Auger-Aliassime in his sixth championship match on German soil (3-2). The 23-year-old trails Schwartzman 1-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, but owns an unbeaten 3-0 record against Auger-Aliassime. Zverev earned his 12th ATP Tour trophy with victory against Auger-Aliassime at this venue in last week’s bett1HULKS Indoors final.

Sinner was attempting to reach his first final on the ATP Tour. The World No. 46 earned victories against James Duckworth, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Gilles Simon to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final since the 2019 European Open in Antwerp.

“He is an up and coming superstar. I think he is going to be Top 10 very shortly. I think he is going to be competing for the biggest tournaments in the world,” said Zverev.

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The Next Gen ATP Finals titlist returned with depth and played with great variety to open a 4-1 lead in the first set, but Zverev took advantage of errors and played with aggression on his backhand to get back into the set. With both players struggling to hold serve, Zverev moved to net and struck powerful forehands in the tie-break to claim a one-set advantage.

Zverev increased his lead early in the second set with passing shot winners as Sinner attempted to shorten points by moving to the net. The Hamburg-born star closed the match strongly, holding to love in the final game with powerful serving.

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[Kamileki]

[DUN I LOVE]

Tak gra w tenisa mój chłopiec:

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[DUN I LOVE]

#13) Kolonia-2 2020


vavel.com

R1 wolna runda
R2 John Millman 60 36 63
QF [8] Adrian Mannarino 64 67(5) 64
SF [WC] Jannik Sinner 76(3) 63
W [2] Diego Schwartzman 62 61

[Damian]

The King Of Cologne: Zverev Beats Schwartzman For Second Consecutive Title

Spoiler:

German star won all eight of his matches in Cologne
Alexander Zverev’s nickname is ’Sascha’, but for now you can call him ‘The King Of Cologne’.

The World No. 7 won his second title in as many weeks in the German city on Sunday, defeating second seed Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-1 for the bett1HULKS Championship crown.

"It's getting better," Zverev said of his form during the trophy ceremony. "I think we're going to be on top of the game very soon."

When Zverev arrived at the bett1HULKS Indoors last week, he was fresh off a disappointing fourth-round loss at Roland Garros against Jannik Sinner. But the German made himself at home in more ways than one in Cologne, winning all eight of his matches to double his ATP Tour title count in Germany to four. The 23-year-old is now a 13-time tour-level champion.

In both Cologne ATP 250s, Zverev saved his best tennis for the championship match. Last Sunday, he cruised by Felix Auger-Aliassime. But his best performance from his two tournament victories came against the red-hot Schwartzman.

<a href='/en/players/alexander-zverev/z355/overview'>Alexander Zverev</a>
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Zverev played scintillating tennis, aggressively going after the ball to hit through the speedy Argentine. The German sometimes relies on his defensive skills to win matches, but he took it to the World No. 9 without hesitation, winning all seven of his service games en route to an impressive one-hour, 11-minute triumph.

The top seed broke for the first time at 2-2 in the opening set with a perfect drop shot, which even the quick Schwartzman couldn’t get to. In the next game, the Argentine missed a forehand return wide on a break point of his own and he struggled to gain a foothold in the match after that.


“Sascha was much better today,” Schwartzman said. “He deserved to win last week here and today he was perfect on court.”

Zverev is sometimes susceptible to double faults, but he didn’t hit any against Schwartzman. The second seed however struck five, including one to go down a double-break in the first set.

Little changed in the second set, as Zverev continued punishing the ball. Schwartzman always does well to use his footwork to take the ball early and go blow-for-blow with almost anyone on the ATP Tour, but he struggled for rhythm against the German, making uncharacteristic errors. Zverev crushed a crosscourt forehand winner to go up a double-break in the second set and never looked back.


Zverev fittingly finished the match with a forehand winner, earning 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points and €13,320 in prize money.

This is the third time Zverev has captured an ATP Tour title in back-to-back weeks. He also did so in August 2017 (Washington, Montreal) and May 2016 (Munich, Madrid).

Schwartzman led their ATP Head2Head series 2-1, including a four-set victory in their most recent clash at last year’s US Open. But the Argentine settled for his third runner-up showing of the season (also Cordoba, Rome). This was the first event in which Schwartzman competed as a Top 10 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The recent Roland Garros semi-finalist departs Germany with €11,130 and 150 points.

Did You Know?
Zverev is 17-3 since the ATP Tour resumed in August.

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[Kamileki]