MELBOURNE: Alexander Zverev became the first man to book his place in the Australian Open semi-finals after dominating Tommy Paul in the pressure moments on Tuesday.
Paul, the 12th seed, played some excellent tennis in the afternoon sun but then wilted when it mattered most in the first two sets.
Zverev, the world No.2, crushed Paul 7-0 and 7-1 in back-to-back tiebreaks to set up a 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 win at Rod Laver Arena.
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Tommy Paul of the United States reacts. Getty
"There's no shame in losing to Zverev but Tommy will look on this match with some regret," Jim Courier said on Nine.
"He didn't play his best tennis then. It's a lot more easy to stomach it when the other player rises to the occasion and takes something from you, but Tommy was very generous with the unforced error counts. And the tiebreakers were just suboptimal for him.
"But Zverev was there to take advantage."
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Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand against Tommy Paul of the United States. Getty
Zverev, 27, has won 23 ATP titles but is yet to get his hands on a grand slam trophy.
The German giant keeps improving and knocking on the door, however, and has made two major finals in 2020 and 2024.
He will play the winner of Tuesday night's blockbuster between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
"Absolutely boring," Zverev joked when Courier asked about the impending clash of the titans.
"No reason to stay here after you just witnessed Zverev/Paul."
Zverev wasn't smiling quite so much when Courier told him that Nine's cameras "have been watching you" and "I will embarrass you."
Cameras catch Alexander Zverev's 'secret' handshake with his girlfriend. Nine
Footage then rolled of Zverev's pre-match ritual – a now not so secret good luck handshake with his girlfriend (watch in the player at the top of the page).
"Look, man, you got to understand we are German, this is the coolest version of German that you can be," he explained.
Zverev earlier lost his cool over a feather that fell on the court in the middle of a rally and prompted chair umpire Nacho Forcadell to call a replay of a point that felt he was in control of.
"This is unbelievable," Zverev told Forcadell.
"It's a feather. There's millions of them on the court."
Zverev needed three match points – one on Paul's serve, and two more on his own – to clinch the victory, which he closed with an ace.
Tommy Paul of the United States reacts. Getty
Paul was a semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2023 and had won both of his previous matches against Zverev, but this was their first grand slam meeting.
"To be honest, I should have been down two sets to love. He played better than me," Zverev said.
"I was not playing great, and I thought he was. I somehow won the first set, somehow won the second set I'm in the semi-finals, somehow."
Alexander Zverev of Germany serves against Tommy Paul of the United States. Getty
After making his jokes, Zverev called the Djokovic-Alcaraz quarter-final "probably the highlight match of the whole tournament."
"Two of the best players that probably ever touched a tennis racquet," Zverev said.
"It's a clash of generations." – with AP
