Alexander Zverev faces a tough challenge once again. The World No. 3 put together a good run at his first stop of the Asian swing in Beijing, reaching the quarterfinals after surviving a scare against Corentin Moutet. He dropped the second set to the Frenchman but rallied in the third to book a clash with Daniil Medvedev. The two share a long rivalry, with Zverev riding a four-match losing streak against the Russian. This time, the frustration of another defeat boiled over into his emotions.

On Monday, at the China Open, Zverev looked set for one of his better shots at finally turning the tables on Medvedev. Instead, the night on Diamond Court slipped away quickly. The German looked out of rhythm from the very first games and handed over the opening set 6-3 after a shaky display.

The second set brought a flicker of hope. Both players held serve until 3-3, but then Medvedev pounced. He broke for a 4-3 lead as Alexander Zverev completely lost his cool. The German smashed his racket to the ground, sending it skidding across the court in anger. The outburst did little to spark a turnaround. Medvedev stayed steady, closing out the set 6-3 once again.

The head-to-head now sits at 14-7 in Medvedev’s favor. And the loss raises more questions about Zverev’s form. The German last lifted a title back in April at the BMW Open. Since then, he has run into a string of early exits and upsets.

Although, Zverev did give his best shot at the qaurters against Daniil. However, seems like the Russian caught on to his mistake during the match as he poitned out in his post-match interview, “He had only, I think, one game on my serve where he put a lot of pressure on me and luckily I made a great game to save it. And other than that, I think I put a lot of pressure on him, played great and I’m happy to win.”

But was that the only issue? Notably, Zverev had mentioned struggling with a back injury ahead of his match. Could that be the issue?

Alexander Zverev flags back issue ahead of Medvedev clash

Zverev’s road in Beijing started with grit and plenty of pain. His wins over Lorenzo Sonego and Corentin Moutet looked impressive on paper, but the World No. 3 admitted he’s still battling a nagging back injury. To even step on court, he needed an injection. Against Moutet, he confessed he “didn’t feel good physically,” yet still found a way through.

“I had some pain,” Alexander Zverev revealed after his gritty three-set win on the Diamond Court. “I was a bit down on myself at times because of that, but when it mattered, I fought and in the third set, I thought I played the best tennis.” That fight was tested all week. Only a few days earlier at the 2025 Laver Cup, he had spoken openly about the injury after losses to Alex De Minaur and Taylor Fritz.

Despite everything, Zverev dug deep to push past Moutet 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, sealing a blockbuster 21st meeting with Daniil Medvedev. “I’m looking forward to the quarter-finals and playing my good friend Daniil,” he noted, after the match. The clash came fresh off a chaotic encounter with Moutet, who smashed his racket against Zverev’s leg in frustration. The World No. 37 stole the second set with cheeky drop shots, making Zverev run, but the German cleaned up the decider with confidence.

But Beijing didn’t script the fairy-tale comeback.  Still, the good news? His journey isn’t done as the World No. 3 will hit reset and step back out in Shanghai on October 3. A fresh start. A Masters 1000. Another 1000 points up for grabs. Will he be ready to bring the fire? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!