Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev are one round away from a rematch in the BMW Open final after they won their respective quarterfinal contests on Friday.
Shelton, who was runner-up to Zverev at this ATP 500 tournament last year, beat Joao Fonseca 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The sixth-ranked American dropped serve only once while setting up a semifinal showdown against fellow left-hander Alex Molcan.
“It was a much warmer day today, which caused short rallies compared to the colder days,” Shelton assessed. “He is an electric player — one of the fastest-rising players on tour. So it has been cool to see his trajectory. For me, being out here and sharing a court with him is a privilege. He has got such great energy and fans around the world, and I really enjoy these types of atmospheres.”
Zverev overcame Francisco Cerundolo 5-7, 6-0, 6-2. The third-ranked German now leads their head-to-head series 5-3, but he had been 0-3 lifetime on clay against Cerundolo prior to Friday’s result.
“I thought it was an incredible level,” Zverev commented. “Even in the first set when I was up 4-1, he started playing unbelievable; he started returning unbelievable. My first-serve percentage was very high, and he started returning a foot in front of the baseline. So there was nothing I could do, to be honest. I was happy with my level even in the first set. Definitely happy to get the win today against Francisco, for the first time on clay.”
In the semifinals, it will be Shelton vs. Alex Molcan and Zverev vs. Flavio Cobolli.
nice one, Ben