“Learner from the baseline was playing unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve played anyone who plays that well from the baseline for a very, very long time,” Zverev said.
“I don’t know what Michael Chang has done with him in the off-season, but the way he’s playing, it’s incredible. Without my 20 aces or something like that, I probably would not have won today. Obviously very happy with my serve, but yeah, just generally happy to be back in the semis.”
A lesson in consistency and concentration throughout, it was a performance that again cemented Zverev’s name in the fray for title contention.
He finished with 56 winners, including 24 aces, in a concerted move to press for more as he looked to keep pace with his Grand Slam-winning rivals.
“That was the work I’ve done in the off season, to get a little bit more in my game,” Zverev said. “I think what makes the big difference between the best two players with, with Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] … is the first shot after the serve.
“I mean, they’re so aggressive, they don’t let you kind of get into the rally, and, you know, that’s something that I’ve worked on a lot.”