Defending Champ Zverev Beats Kei In Washington (Again)

Alexander Zverev had an interesting day on the courts Thursday, playing brother Mischa Zverev at tour-level for the first time before partnering his sibling to defeat the top seeds in doubles. But on Friday, there was little time to dwell on family sentiment as the defending champion faced Kei Nishikori for a place in the semi-finals in Washington, D.C.

The top seed eliminated the Japanese star from the Citi Open for the second consecutive year, ousting the seventh seed 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a match that was delayed for more than two hours while the top seed was leading 3-2, with a break, in the third set.

Zverev now leads the ATP World Tour with 39 match wins this season (39-11), breaking a tie with Austrian Dominic Thiem, who is 38-13. The German must make the final at the ATP World Tour 500-level event to stand a chance of retaining the No. 3 spot in the ATP Rankings on Monday. If he does not defeat #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last four, Juan Martin del Potro will move to third, which would be the Argentine's career-best. Zverev is defending 500 points from his victory at this event last year, while Del Potro, who is competing in Los Cabos, earned 45 points in Washington, D.C. in 2017.

Zverev and Nishikori met in the semi-finals a year ago, with the German cruising in 64 minutes. But Nishikori, who defeated Zverev in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals earlier this season to even their FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1, won his third consecutive set against the 21-year-old to take the lead in the nation’s capital.

The Japanese star was able to dictate play for the most part early on, as his opponent didn’t consistently step inside the baseline. But that changed in the second set, when Zverev became far more aggressive, especially on return.

It appeared the top seed would use that momentum well, breaking, before play was suspended at 3-2, 30/30 in the decider. After the rain delay, Zverev did not miss a beat. He immediately consolidated that break with two quick points and took a second break thanks to a series of errors by Nishikori. But suddenly, on the doorstep of victory, he lost the next eight points to give the 2015 champion a chance. 

Zverev shrugged off that lull, though, holding to love at his second opportunity to serve out the match, advancing to face Tsitsipas. It will be the pair's first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.