Toronto: Zverev beats Popyrin and salutes heckling fan

Zverev is in the semifinals at the Toronto Masters 1000. The German, No. 1 on the scoreboard, eliminated Popyrin, defending champion, in three sets. Having lost the first partial at tie-break (8-10), Zverev shifted gears, winning the next two sets: 6-4, 6-4 the partials.

A hard-fought victory but of great relevance for Zverev: “After losing the first set, I had to tell myself that we were both playing well. I made one or two mistakes at the end of the first, but it was a high level match. I felt that if I continued to play well, I would have my chances, and I did. I certainly cannot complain about the second and third sets”, his words reported by SuperSport.

The end of the match was affected by a decidedly out-of-control fan. The (alleged) fan did everything he could to distract the German, especially in the final of the third set. Spotted by security, he was escorted to the’exit of the facility.

Zverev, after converting match point, turned toward the heckling fan area, greeting him with an unequivocal “Bye, bye”. The German, in the semifinals, will face Khachanov, who disposed of U.S. Michelsen in two sets: 6-4, 7-6 the partials in favor of the 29-year-old Russian tennis player.