Alexander Zverev achieved his season-leading 43rd win on Friday with a straight-sets victory over China’s Zhang Zhizhen, advancing to the semi-finals of his hometown Hamburg tournament. The world number four secured the win in just 66 minutes with scores of 6-4, 6-3.
This victory marks Zverev’s 43rd win of the year, surpassing world number one Jannik Sinner. “I’m extremely pleased with the level of tennis today,” Zverev remarked, showing no signs of the knee injury that affected his performance in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
“I’m happy to be in the semi-finals, but I don’t want to stop here. I aim to continue and hopefully defend my title in Hamburg,” he added.
The French Open runner-up is preparing for his next major challenge as he heads back to Roland Garros to defend his Olympic title. Reflecting on his remarkable 2021 season, where he notched 59 tour-level wins and six titles, Zverev said, “2021 was strange; I started well but barely lost a match in the second half of the year.”
“If I can repeat that form this year, especially with the Olympics and the US Open, I’ll be the happiest person on the planet.”
In the semi-finals, Zverev will face Spain’s Pedro Martinez, who defeated Argentine fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
