It was quite the dramatic day at the Halle Open for Alexander Zverev! The German tennis star, who’s still chasing his first title on grass courts, had a very unexpected moment during his match on Friday. He was actually forced to sprint off the court to vomit mid-match! Talk about a stomach-churning experience!
Despite feeling clearly unwell, Zverev showed incredible grit. He managed to rally and defeat Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(8).
The match started well for Zverev, who broke Cobolli’s serve right away. But then, while serving in the second game, he suddenly needed a “toilet break” and bolted down the tunnel to throw up.
When he returned, Zverev was visibly struggling. He was bending over after points and gasping for breath, looking absolutely exhausted after long rallies. Even though he was far from 100%, Zverev somehow held his serve, slowly finding his energy and even hitting his first ace of the match on a set point!
The second set was a real battle, with Cobolli using his speed to keep Zverev on his toes. But in the end, Zverev powered through a very close tiebreak, finishing with an impressive 22 winners.
Now, Zverev is set for a big semifinal showdown against Daniil Medvedev, a familiar rival. Medvedev has a strong record against Zverev, winning 12 of their 19 matches and even taking their last three encounters.
Speaking of Medvedev, he also secured his spot in the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over American Alex Michelsen. Not without a bit of drama himself, Medvedev actually had to take a medical timeout during the second set due to a nosebleed!
So, it seems like both Zverev and Medvedev had to overcome some physical hurdles today. It’s going to be an interesting semifinal match between these two top players!
Discussion about this post