Zverev rallies in Toronto to claim milestone 500th ATP match win
"It's a great achievement," Zverev, winner of 24 ATP titles, said of reaching 500 career match wins. "Not a lot of player reach this milestone.
"But I still want 500 more -- maybe even more," he joked. "You always want to win as many matches as possible. I'm all about this."
Unable to gain the upper hand in an 82-minute first set, Zverev said his game improved as the minutes dragged on against 2024 Canadian semi-finalist Arnaldi.
"I started playing better from the baseline and found my rhythm a bit. My backhand felt off but I was comfortable and happy with my level," added Zverev who next faces Francisco Cerundolo -- a 6-3, 6-4 winner over fellow Argentine Tomas Echeverry.
Alex Michelsen reached a Masters 1000 fourth round for the first time with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti.
The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy's Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world.
"It feels really good," the 26th-ranked Michelsen said after finally converting his seventh match point.
"I've put in a lot of hard work and it's paying off a little bit. I was wondering when it would happen and I guess it is starting to happen right now.
"I returned really well today," he added. "I played offensive tennis and executed really well."
Michelson will face fellow American Learner Tien for a place in the quarter-finals. Tien beat compatriot Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
Fifth-seeded Holger Rune advanced with an efficient 6-2, 6-4 result over Frenchman Alexandre Muller.
Ruud rallies
Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud shook off a slow start to beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5, 6-4.
The Norwegian was playing only his fourth match since Roland Garros after missing Wimbledon because of injury.
Trailing 4-1 in the first set, Ruud thwarted Borges's two chances for a 5-1 lead, methodically lifting his game and taking control with a late break before earning the lone break of the second set for his 20th win of the season.
"I just crawled into the first set," said Ruud, who fired nine aces. "I was able to get back into it. One break and things can happen. I raised my return game and got more balls back into play.
"In the second set I got the break and served my way through."
Despite his sluggish start, Ruud was delighted to beat Borges after falling to him at Roland Garros in May.
"It was nice to get my revenge," said Ruud, who next faces 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov.
Khachanov, seeded 11th defeated US qualifier Emilio Nava 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1 to book his second Masters round of 16 spot this season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Ledecky beats McIntosh to win 800m freestyle thriller
Ledecky won her seventh career gold in the event but she was challenged like never before, touching the wall in a championship-record 8min 05.62sec -- a fingertip ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and McIntosh (8:07.29). It was Canadian sensation McIntosh's first defeat of the championships and ended her bid to match Michael Phelps as the only swimmer ever to win five individual golds at a single world championships. The 18-year-old has already won three golds this week in Singapore. Ledecky, 28, had too much staying power for her younger rival, with Pallister also in gold-medal contention until the final lunge for the line. "They pushed me all the way," said Ledecky, a four-time Olympic champion in the event. "I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just kept telling myself to trust my legs." The race was billed as a potential changing of the guard, with McIntosh in red-hot form. She had also threatened Ledecky's world record earlier this year. Pallister was determined to insert her name into the conversation as well, as the Australian kept pace with Ledecky and McIntosh in a fast start. The lead changed hands several times but Ledecky, swimming between her two rivals, looked best-placed to strike for home. In the end it was the American celebrating with her country's flag on the pool deck after an epic race. "I think I just came into tonight trying to enjoy it as much as I can," said Ledecky. "I don't feel like I have much to lose at this point in my career.
France 24
14 hours ago
- France 24
Sevastova topples Pegula to book date with Osaka, Swiatek advances in Montreal
Sevastova, a former world No. 11 now ranked 386th, snapped fourth-ranked Pegula's 11-match WTA Canada win streak, the longest since Serena Williams reeled off 14 consecutive wins in 2011, 2013 and 2014. She will try to extend her Montreal run in a round of 16 meeting with Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan who ousted another Latvian, 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko, 6-2, 6-4. "Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better," Sevastova said. "Third set I played really good. "Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible," added Sevastova, who has dealt with injury since returning from maternity leave in February 2024. In the night session, second-seeded Iga Swiatek -- playing her first tournament since winning Wimbledon -- raced into the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Germany's Eva Lys. Swiatek next faces Denmark's Clara Tauson, who beat Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-3, 6-0. Pegula, last year's US Open runner-up in her best Slam showing, was the first woman to win back to back Canadian Open titles since Martina Hingis in 1999-2000. But she has struggled in recent months, dropping her openers at Wimbledon and at Washington last week. The American broke to open the match and again at love to claim the first set. But she couldn't maintain an early break in the second, with Sevastova breaking for a 5-4 lead and denying Pegula on three break chances before holding in the final game to force a third set in which she seized a 4-1 lead on the way to victory. 'Weird match' "It was a weird match for me," Pegula said. "I felt like I had total control and then I just played a couple of terrible games for, like, three games. "That totally flipped the momentum of the match, and I went from being up a set and 2-0 to being down very quickly. "I don't really feel like I'm playing great tennis," Pegula admitted. "At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don't like. I've got to figure it out." Osaka, twice a winner at both the US and Australian Opens, is one match away from her first quarter-final run at either a Grand Slam or WTA 1000 event since she returned from maternity leave at the start of 2024. Now ranked 49th, Osaka broke on a double fault to capture the first set in 30 minutes and raced to a 3-1 lead in the second. They exchanged breaks before Osaka served for the match with a 5-3 lead, but Ostapenko saved a match point on a forehand crosscourt winner and broke when Osaka sent a forehand beyond the baseline. The Japanese star responded by breaking Ostapenko at love in the final game. "I went in there knowing she's a great player and if I give her a chance she's going to hit a winner on me, so I just tried to keep my pace and stay as solid as I could," Osaka said. Australian Open champion Madison Keys, seeded sixth, beat fellow American Caty McNally 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 and will next meet Karolina Muchova, a 6-7 (2/7), 6-2, 6-3 winner over Belinda Bencic. Fifth-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, regrouping this week after a crushing 6-0, 6-0 loss to Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, swept past Britain's Emma Raducanu 6-2, 6-1. She lined up a meeting with Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who beat Russian Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-1.
France 24
18 hours ago
- France 24
Rublev, Tiafoe sweat out three-set wins in Toronto
Sixth seed Rublev, runner-up in Canada a year ago to Alexei Popyrin, advanced 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 as Lorenzo Sonego double-faulted on match point in their contest after two and a half hours. Tiafoe, the number seven, confessed to a bad day but earned his win the hard way as he beat Australian Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. "The ball was flying a lot, it was really ugly, but I'm happy to get through it," Tiafoe said. "It doesn't matter how you win. You just have to compete. It was up and down for me today." Rublev's victory extended the loss streak against the top 20 which has been plaguing Sonego for more than a year. The Italian has dropped his last 16 matches against the elite dating to Roland Garros last season. He now stands 2-3 against Rublev. The seed finished with 29 winners while Sonego had 41 unforced errors. Rublev, who won his 25th match of the season, now goes against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat him this season on clay in Barcelona. The Spaniard earned his spot 6-2, 6-4 over Jakob Mensik. "I'm really happy, it's my first time in the round of 16 here in Toronto," Rublev said of the event, which alternates each season with Montreal. "I'm excited, motivated and happy with my performance." The winner said he had to adjust his serve in windy conditions as he made his comeback after losing the opening set. "I played more aggressive in the second set and made fewer mistakes. I was doing more with my serve. I had to slow it wide in the wind." Tiafoe next lines up against another Aussie in Alex de Minaur, who advanced when compatriot Christopher O'Connell pulled out with an injury. Tiafoe earned his 22nd match win of the season as he swept the final three games against Vukic, who had lost 15 or his previous 18 matches prior to arriving in Canada this week. "I had chances in the second set -- I could have gotten out in straights (sets)," Tiafoe said. "But he fended them off and made me play a third." The American, a quarter-finalist last week in his Washington hometown, will be playing for the second time in a Masters fourth round this season after Madrid in the spring. Second seed Taylor Fritz was bidding for the last 16 later as he faced a third-round test against Canadian Gabriel Diallo. Czech Jiri Lehecka completed a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 fightback to overhaul Arthur Fils as the Frenchman played for the first time since Roland Garros due to a back injury.
