“Sport needs emotions, and that’s what the fans do,” Alexander Zverev remarked before his Monte Carlo Masters quarter-final against Jannik Sinner. It is fair to say the boos that rained down from the stands as he arrived on Court Rainier III were probably not what the German second seed had in mind.
Such scenes are rare in tennis, but Zverev may have to get used to public disdain. The 24-year-old won few friends with his behaviour at February’s Mexico Open, where he was disqualified for repeatedly smashing his racket into the umpire’s chair after losing a doubles match. Zverev, who is also under investigation by the ATP over allegations of domestic abuse levelled by his former girlfriend Olga Sharypova, escaped with a suspended eight-week ban for his actions, a sentence that has been widely decried as too lenient. Former world No 1 Justine Henin doubtless echoed the thoughts of many when she opined in her role as a TV pundit that Zverev “should not be on the court today”.
On the court he was, though, and the quality, heart and resilience he showed was such that, three hours and seven minutes after his uncomfortable arrival, the crowd rose as one to acclaim a 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory that put him through to the semi-finals in the principality for the second time in his career. Having lost a third-set tiebreak against Tommy Paul in Indian Wells and been edged out by Casper Ruud in another tight contest in Miami, it was just the kind of restorative win Zverev needed as he aims to clinch the only clay-court Masters 1000 title that has eluded him.
“It means a lot, especially [with] how this year has been going so far for me,” said Zverev, who won the Rome Masters five years ago and will be the defending champion in Madrid later this month.
“I’ve lost a lot of matches like that, so I’m happy that I won this match. It was a very high-level match, so I’m happy with the result.”
The obvious question in the early stages was how far Zverev would be affected by his hostile reception. The answer soon became clear as the German, serving flawlessly and striking his trademark two-handed backhand with precision, length and searing power, held to love before establishing a 4-1 lead in just 14 minutes. It was an impressive opening salvo, one that spoke volumes for the mental strength of a player who, for all his difficulties of late, has shown an unprecedented level of self-belief since his victory at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
Yet Sinner too has proven his ability to cope with adversity, a point the Italian ninth seed underlined in the previous round when he fought back from a set and a break down against Andrey Rublev despite suffering from a badly blistered foot. And in the seventh game, when Zverev showed a first hint of vulnerability, the 20-year-old was ready. Zverev did not help himself, triggering renewed animus from the crowd as he twice remonstrated with chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein over line calls after double-faulting to bring up two break points. But Sinner made the most of the chance, outrallying his opponent to get back on level terms, and at 5-5 he fashioned a second break with some explosive hitting off the ground as Zverev was once again undone by double faults.
By the time he served out the set with an ace, Sinner had the crowd in a frenzy and his tail well and truly up. There has been a sizeable Italian contingent in the stands this week, and Sinner has drawn readily and frequently on their raucous support. Having lost his first set of the tournament, however, Zverev was in no mood to roll over, and after cancelling out an early break he made the most of a lamentable missed volley by Sinner to convert a break point in the eighth game.
That proved enough to secure the second set, and the stage was set for a titanic finale in which the two men went toe-to-toe, exchanging mighty blows from the baseline as they conducted a masterclass in the art of the two-handed backhand. Zverev served for the match at 5-4 only for his nerve to fail him in the face of Sinner’s bold defiance, but that merely added to the unrelenting drama of a battle no one wanted to end.
“I have lost so many matches this year,” said Zverev. “It’s in the back of my mind. I think this one will definitely help.”
Zverev will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last four after the Greek third seed, who at one stage led 6-2, 5-2, pulled out a 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 over Diego Schwartzman in another match of monumental proportions. It was a gut-wrenching defeat for Schwartzman, who stood within a point of a 5-0 lead in the decider only to see his opponent – who evoked memories of a young Boris Becker with an extraordinary diving volley as he served for the match – complete a remarkable comeback.
“I was really close in the second set, serving for the match,” said Tsitsipas. “Didn’t work out for me. That was probably the moment that I thought I had a big chance of closing it out. But Diego is Diego – and I had to be Stefanos in the third set.”
In the top half of the draw, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Taylor Fritz, the 10th seed, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 to continue his remarkable run at the tournament. The Spanish world No 46, who defeated top seed Novak Djokovic in the second round, will meet Grigor Dimitrov in the last four after the Bulgarian saw off Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, the 11th seed, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2).