German World No. 3 Alexander Zverev came from a set down to beat Tallon Griekspoor on Friday, making the last four in Munich for the first time in seven years.
Zverev, the first seed, won 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 after fighting back from the brink of defeat in the second set to stay on track to win the title he claimed in 2017 and 2018.
Griekspoor, who knocked Zverev out of Indian Wells last month, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but delivered a sloppy game to let his opponent off the hook.
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“At the end of the day, I’m very happy to have won the match. He played very well tactically and made it very difficult for me,” Zverev told Sky Germany, saying he was “totally mentally exhausted”.
“Today I had to somehow get through. Hopefully, I’ll play better tennis tomorrow.”
Zverev will face the winner of the quarterfinal between Hungarian Fabian Marozsan and Belgium’s Zizou Bergs on Saturday.
If he wins, Zverev will bid to win the tournament for a third time on his 28th birthday on Sunday. Joining Zverev in the semis is World No. 15 Ben Shelton, who beat Italian Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-3.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com