Alexander Zverev had the last laugh as he booked his place in the Canadian Open semi-finals.
The German tennis ace recovered from losing the opening set to beat Alexei Popyrin in Toronto.
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Zverev waved a heckler goodbye after reaching the Canadian Open semi-finalsCredit: X / @TennisTV
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The German came back from a set down to beat Popyrin in Toronto on MondayCredit: Getty
Zverev triumphed 6-7 (10-8), 6-4, 6-3 over his Australian opponent in a hard-fought victory.
His reward is a last four showdown with Karen Khachanov on Wednesday for a spot in the final.
The number three seed also had to deal with a heckler in the crowd at Sobeys Stadium.
A spectator had started to taunt Zverev during the final set as he closed in on victory.
However, he had the perfect response after sealing a three-set victory.
The world number three turned around to wave at the heckler in the stands.
He also appeared to mouth the words ‘bye bye’ before shaking Popyrin and the umpire’s hand.
Zverev applauded the rest of the crowd after waving once more to the heckler as he received a standing ovation.
The 28-year-old had shown his emotions earlier in the match having lost the first-set tiebreak.
He reacted to dropping the opener by firing a ball out of the stadium in frustration.
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Zverev was all smiles after the win despite being taunted by a spectatorCredit: X / @TennisTV
By reaching the semi-final, he claimed a 155th career match win at ATP Masters 1000 events, equalling Grigor Dimitrov (155) for the most of any player born since 1990.
What did Zverev say after the match?
Zverev told reporters afterwards that he has learned to manage his emotions better in recent years.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, he explained: “I want to be remembered for my tennis.
“I want to be remembered for what I’ve achieved on the court, for what I’ve done on the tennis court… Also for the good things I do outside the tennis court as well.
“There’s quite a lot of work that I do with my foundation, and with my family as well, which can be beneficial and helps people around the world.
“So I would much rather be known and remembered for that than the outbursts that I used to have, right? That’s just something that at some point it just comes.”
Zverev is aiming to win his second title of the year this week after a clay-court victory at the BMW Open in Munich back in April.
Ben Shelton explains heated net confrontation with rival moments after Toronto win
He has already tasted success at the event following his Canadian Open triumph in 2017.
The tournament serves as a warm-up event for the US Open later this month.
Zverev is a former finalist at Flushing Meadows, suffering the first of his three Grand Slam final defeats.
This year’s US Open begins on August 24 and runs through to the men’s singles final on September 7.