Alexander Zverev is a masters of the Masters. At 21 years old, he has already won three of these tournaments–including the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last spring. Zverev also triumphed last summer on the hard courts of Montreal and just last week lifted the trophy in Madrid while also finishing runner-up earlier this season in Miami.
Despite a heavy workload that includes a 16-2 record on clay dating back to early April, Zverev has not yet run out of gas in Rome. The world No. 3, who did not lose a set or even drop serve in Madrid, went on a 23-set winning streak before finally dropping one in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over David Goffin during quarterfinal action on Friday. Zverev preceded that result by making straight-set work of Matteo Berrettini and Kyle Edmund.
Zverev’s reward is a sixth career contest against Marin Cilic on Saturday night at the Foro Italico. The German leads the head-to-head series 4-1 and has won four straight at the Croat’s expense since losing their first encounter at the 2015 Washington, D.C. event. Zverev has since prevailed three times on hard courts and once on clay–the latter via a 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 decision last spring in Madrid. Three of Zverev’s victories have required deciding sets and they have never played a match that was anything more lopsided than 7-5, 7-6(3), which was the score by which Cilic got the job done three years ago in D.C.
Cilic, a quarterfinalist in Monte-Carlo, is heating up just in time for the French Open with Rome defeats of Ryan Harrison (in a final-set tiebreaker), Benoit Paire, and Pablo Carreno Busta.
“I’m feeling great [after reaching] my first semifinal on clay at a Masters 1000 event,” the world No. 5 said following Friday’s 6-3, 6-3 rout of Carreno Busta. “That’s a good achievement. I was waiting many years for it to happen, so it’s definitely a happy moment for sure.
“I served incredibly well, both on first and second serve. That was extremely important; it gave me a lot of freedom in my game. When I’m serving that well, everything else comes a little bit more naturally. On return, I gave myself a few chances and managed to break. I wouldn’t say it was perfect, but it’s difficult to have an extremely perfect match in the quarterfinals.”
“I think I (have) improved as a player over the years on clay,” he concluded. “Last year I found a really good combination of training and also preparing for the matches.”
Both players have prepared well for this one–Cilic by gaining momentum and winning a quick one on Friday; Zverev in terms of unprecedented confidence. Against a fellow big hitter who will be able to dictate plenty of rallies, Zverev’s run may finally come to an end.
Pick: Cilic in 3
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