Alexander Zverev’s journey to claim his first grasscourt title and advancement took an unexpected turn at the Halle Open on Friday with a win against Cobolli. The German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before rallying to defeat Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(8). Zverev started strong, breaking in the first game, but his sudden illness forced him to take a toilet break and throw up.
“I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later I felt OK again,” Zverev explained. Despite struggling with intensity and exhaustion, Zverev held serve and drew on his reserves of energy to triumph in a close tiebreak.
The German’s determination paid off, and he now faces Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals. Medvedev, who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage, advanced to the last four with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen. Despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set, Medvedev served well to deny Michelsen a single break point opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Zverev said about his upcoming match against Medvedev. “A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He’s one of my toughest opponents in my career. It’s going to be a great match, and I’m really looking forward to facing him.” Medvedev, who will return to the top 10 ahead of Wimbledon, commented on the challenging conditions: “The shadows on the court made the conditions quite difficult. It took some time to get used to it. It was then better in the second set.”
The semi-final match between Zverev and Medvedev promises to be an exciting encounter, with both players showcasing their skills on the grass court. Zverev’s gritty win over Cobolli and Medvedev’s dominant performance against Michelsen set the stage for a thrilling match.
Zverev’s impressive display during the game against Cobolli is superb and show of brilliance.