Alexander Zverev is set for a difficult test against Jannik Sinner in the Miami Open semi-finals.
Zverev was beaten comfortably by Sinner at Indian Wells recently, but he’s bounced back with impressive performances in Miami.
He’s dropped just one set so far in matches against Francisco Cerundolo, Marin Cilic, Quentin Halys, and Martin Damm.
Sinner will provide a significant step up, however, and Zverev is well aware of the challenges posed by the world number two.
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Zverev has lost his last six matches to Sinner and he’s only beaten the Italian in four of their 11 matches on the ATP Tour.
Speaking ahead of his clash with Sinner, Zverev said: “We’ve had very good matches in recent years, very close matches in the past few months.
“It’s true that he has won them all, so I hope that this time there will be a different outcome. In Indian Wells, I played a poor match, the shot that failed me the most was the serve, that day I served terribly, so I hope that this changes tomorrow. I hope to do the best I can.”
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Zverev admitted that he will have to play at the very peak of his powers if he wants to knock Sinner out of Miami.
He added: “In all matches I try to use this tool, but against Jannik it will be more difficult than against others.
“Simply due to the ball speed, his average ball speed is the highest on the circuit and he always stays at the baseline, not giving you much room, so you have to be aggressive in other ways.
“Definitely, I will try everything I can, I’ll try to be the one who dominates the points, although I know it won’t be easy against him.”
Zverev’s last victory against Sinner came at the 2023 US Open, when he beat him in a five set battle in the round of 16.
What Alexander Zverev said the last time he beat Jannik Sinner
When Zverev last beat Sinner in 2023 he took a 4-1 head-to-head lead against the Italian, but he’s been very different since.
Speaking at the US Open after securing the victory, the German said: “I guess I can say I’m back. This is exactly what I live for.
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“This is what I love to do… playing at 1:30 a.m., in front of a packed crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It doesn’t get any better.”
That year at the US Open, many fans were expecting to see a Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz quarter-final and Zverev was delighted to nix fans’ hopes.
“This is one of the best moments of my career. I think everybody, before the tournament, was looking for two matchups: Alcaraz-Novak in the final, and Alcaraz-Sinner in the quarterfinals.
“So maybe I can make sure that both of those don’t happen. It’s obviously going to be one of the toughest matches for me [against Alcaraz in the quarters] and I need to recover, that’s for sure.”
On another big United States stage in Miami, Zverev will be hoping for another scalp against his long-time rival.
