Alexander Zverev Stuns Stan Wawrinka to Reach Maiden Grand Slam Semifinals at Australian Open 2020

World No.7 Alexander Zverev fought back from a set down to defeat the resurgent Stan Wawrinka in a thrilling four-setter 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2020. With this victory, Zverev reaches his maiden Grand Slam semifinals in Melbourne.

The stats show 24 winners and 25 unforced errors from Zverev, while Wawrinka was unsurprisingly more aggressive throughout, with 30 winners and 37 unforced errors.

Stan Wawrinka sealed the first set in 24 minutes

Wawrinka rushed to a 5-0 lead in the first set, edging with a double break. Zverev was finally on board with his first service hold at 5-1. However, the Swiss No.2 continued his dominance on serve as he served out the opening set 6-1 in just 24 minutes without facing a single breakpoint.

Wawrinka lost only 3 points in his four service games. He hit 7 winners in the set and forced Zverev to commit more mistakes. The next-gen star made 10 unforced errors against Stan’s 4 unforced errors.

Alexander Zverev levelled back the match in the second set

Zverev started the second set positively, holding his first four service games at love. The German also earned his first break opportunity on Wawrinka’s first service game, which was fended off from the World No.15.

The 22-year-old further levelled up his game to put pressure on Wawrinka’s serve and break him for the first time in the match at 5-3. The No.7 seed served out the set 6-3 in 33 minutes with another service hold at love.

The serving masterclass from Alexander Zverev saw him win every point in his five service games of the set. The German played a much-controlled game in the second set, committing only 2 unforced errors against Wawrinka’s 11.

Zverev broke once to claim the third set

Zverev carried his momentum in the third set as he broke Wawrinka in the first game. However, the 32-year-old held back his head to get the break back in the next game. The World No.7 continued to play counter-attacking tennis, which helped him to earn another break at 3-2.

The Former World No.3 fought off two set points to hold his serve while he was serving to stay in the set at 4-5. Kicking it into high gear, Sascha served out the set 6-4 in 44 minutes.

Alexander Zverev seals the match with a fourth set victory

With all the momentum swinging in on Zverev’s side, he broke twice to rush to a 4-0 lead. In the fifth game, the 2014 champion saved three breakpoints to prevent the third break of his serve. The next-gen star then served out the match after 2 hours and 20 minutes, winning the fourth set 6-2.

The German No.1 now awaits the winner between No.1 seed Rafael Nadal and the No.5 seed Dominic Thiem in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals.