ATP Finals: Alexander Zverev beats Diego Schwartzman (6-3, 4-6, 6-3) and can believe in the semi-finals

Alexander Zverev is relaunched in this Masters. In a match that he made complicated on his own, the German finally managed to get rid of Diego Schwartzman in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-3). Between two players who had lost their first match and who had no room for error, the level of play has rarely reached peaks. For the seventh player in the world, the loss of the second set could have a heavy impact in the race for the last four.

Faced with an opponent he had easily beaten in the final in Cologne at the end of October (6-2, 6-1), Alexander Zverev started at the same pace despite a break conceded quickly but recovered in stride. Diego Schwartzman is aware of this, his height (1m68) does not allow him to obtain free points for service. He is thus regularly endangered on his commitments and often has to face break points. When Zverev led 6-3, 3-1, there was no indication that the German would need 2:11 to win this game.

But Zverev is known for his inconstancy. Especially when he’s in the lead. So we saw eight breaks throughout this match. A completely missed serve play at 3-2 revived Schwartzman, who again took the opposing serve in the last play of the set (6-4). For the first time in the history of their confrontations, Zverev yielded a hard indoor round to the Argentinian. More applied and more patient from the baseline, he regained his superiority in the last round to make the difference (6-3). But a performance of this caliber will not be enough against Novak Djokovic on Friday.

Because, in the German clan, the qualification will pass by a victory against the world number one which he had already beaten in the final in 2018. For Schwartzman, the deal is now simple. If he wants to have a chance of qualifying, the Argentine must beat Medvedev in straight sets and hope for a clear round from the Serbian, all without losing a single round. In a three-way match with Zverev and Medvedev, he would then have a better set average. But a victory for the Russian against Djokovic tonight would bury these last hopes of reaching the semi-finals.