Zverev advances to the semifinals

Germany's number 1 lives up to his role as favorite against Brandon Nakashima and keeps his chances alive for his first victory at the BOSS OPEN.

When Alexander Zverev converted his first match point after 90 minutes to win 7-5, 6-4, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause. Despite an intense week of training, the tournament's number 1 seed delivered and secured his hoped-for place in the semifinals.

Zverev had previously played Brandon Nakashima three times. All of these matches had taken place at Grand Slam tournaments, with Zverev boasting a flawless 3-0 record. And that record remained intact after the match in Stuttgart. Zverev fended off both of his opponent's break points in the first set and then struck coldly when he had his only chance: he broke Nakashima’s serve to make it 6-5, after which the Hamburg native served out the match confidently.

In the second set, Zverev picked up the pace and didn't allow Nakashima any more break points. He broke the American's serve to go 3-2 up and didn't let this advantage slip.

In the on-court interview, Zverev was in good spirits and thanked the crowd for their "great support. “I'm really enjoying it here. It's great to be back here after six years.” He is also looking forward to the next two days. “The opponents will be tougher now, but I'm really happy on court and in Stuttgart at the moment.”

Against Shelton in the semifinals

In the semifinals, Zverev will face American Ben Shelton. The tournament's No. 4 seed needed just 60 minutes to defeat Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4. With this victory, Shelton secured his first entry into the world's top 10.

This means that the four top seeds have all advanced – Stuttgart can look forward to a high-class semifinal on Saturday.