Alexander Zverev failed to convert on two match points before going down in the Hamburg semifinals to defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili on Saturday.
Hometown favorite Alexander Zverev had plenty of chances in his semifinal match against Nikoloz Basilashvili, but the Georgian advanced to Sunday’s final with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5) win over the No. 2 seed. Zverev limped into the Hamburg event off a disappointing first round exit at Wimbledon to world No. 124 Jiri Vesely. He appeared to be back on the right track, securing a come-from-behind victory over Filip Krajinovic in the quarters. But it’s disappointment again for the German.
After trading the first two sets, Basilashvili shot out to a 3-0 lead in the decider. Zverev delighted the crowd by battling back to 3-3, then reeled off the next two games for a 5-3 lead. With the fourth seed serving at 3-5, he double-faulted on a shaky second serve to give Zverev his first match point. Basilashvili saved it on a lovely forehand winner. A point later, he donated a forehand error to give Zverev another match point. He saved it again, but with a volley winner.
With the match on Zverev’s racket at 5-4, he played a dismal game and Basilashvili broke back to level the match. To cap off his comeback, Basilashvili once again made his way back in the tiebreak, after Zverev sprinted out to a 5-2 lead. The Georgian won the next five points to earn his spot in the final.
Of his efforts, Basilashvili said, “I was serving really really bad in the third set, so that got me very emotional and I got very tight also in the third set. But in general how I managed to come back from 2/5 in the tie-break was something that I give credit to myself. It doesn’t happen with my tennis that often, so I’m really happy.”
He will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev in Sunday’s final.
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