Zverev raises his game to beat Paul, reaches Melbourne semis
Badosa defeats Gauff to reach first Grand Slam semis
MELBOURNE — Alexander Zverev played his best tennis when it mattered most to down Tommy Paul 7-6(1), 7-6(0), 2-6, 6-1 on Tuesday and reach his third Australian Open semifinal in five years, keeping alive his dream of finally landing a Grand Slam title.
The 27-year-old German was unable to find his peak level for much of a match played in the stifling afternoon heat on Rod Laver Arena but dominated his American opponent in tiebreaks to lock up the first two sets.
Paul bagged the third set but second seed Zverev upped his intensity to whip through the fourth and set up a meeting with the winner of the later blockbuster clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Paul, also 27, had beaten Zverev in their two previous meetings and worked assiduously to gain the upper hand in the first two sets only for the German to raise his game to drag him back into a dog fight.
The 2023 semifinalist converted his fourth break point to take a 6-5 lead in the opening set but Zverev returned the favor in the next game before racing away with the tiebreak 7-1.
Paul broke again early in the second set with a backhand pass as Zverev charged the net and this time he was able to consolidate for a 3-0 lead.
Zverev had break points at 4-2 and blew up at umpire Nacho Forcadell, who had already handed him a code violation for an audible obscenity, after a let was called mid-rally on a deuce point when a feather drifted down onto the court.
Paul held but a riled-up Zverev broke him to love on his next service game to put the set back on serve at 5-4. The German then fended off another break point to hold for 5-5 before denying the 12th seed a single point in the tiebreak.
Zverev gave up his opening service game in the third stanza and Paul doubled his advantage when he crushed a forehand winner for a 5-2 lead before holding to love to clinch the set.
It was a false dawn for the American, though, and the final set was a one-sided affair with Paul not getting on the board until he was 5-0 down, and that only after four deuces.
BADOSA DOWNS GAUFF
Spain’s Paula Badosa stunned error-prone third seed Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Tuesday to reach the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time at the third attempt.
It was a thoroughly deserved victory for Badosa on a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena as she set up a meeting with double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
The 11th seed’s two previous Grand Slam quarterfinals had resulted in disappointing defeats and she sank to her knees in disbelief after sealing the victory with her 15th winner. “I’m a bit emotional, as you know, I’m a very emotional person,” said the 27-year-old after securing her first win over a top 10 seed at a major.
Gauff’s bid to reach her fifth Grand Slam semifinal, and second in a row at Melbourne Park, foundered on her fragile serve and no fewer than 28 unforced errors on her forehand.
Badosa showed her intentions early on in a tight first set by attacking the 20-year-old’s forehand to grab a couple of break points in the third game.
Gauff saved both but Badosa came back at her in the 11th game, earning a third break point with a backhand volley and converting it with a huge cross-court winner off the forehand.
The American fought hard to get back on serve but two wild shots helped Badosa to a set point and she converted it when the third seed went long with a forehand.
Badosa kept up the pressure in the 14-minute opening game of the second set as Gauff’s serve started to creak and the 27-year-old converted her fifth break point to edge ahead.
Former US Open champion Gauff had fought back from a set down to win her last two meetings with Badosa and upped her intensity to break back for 2-2.
A fifth double fault of the match let Badosa back into the next game for a third break of the contest, while another in game seven blew the Spaniard’s lead out to 5-2.
Badosa knew she was on the brink of moving into uncharted waters in her career and Gauff exploited her nerves to break back again but the Spanish number one made no mistake when serving for the match at the second attempt.
The victory was all the more special for Badosa given her long road back to fitness after suffering a stress fracture in her spine at the 2023 Italian Open. — Reuters
