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March 14, 2026 Alexander Zverev GER reacts to missing shot against Jannik Sinner ITA during their semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. Mandatory Photo Credit : /CSM Tennis 2026: BNP Paribas Open MAR 14 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY – ZUMAc04_ 20260314_zma_c04_054 Copyright: xCharlesxBausx
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March 14, 2026 Alexander Zverev GER reacts to missing shot against Jannik Sinner ITA during their semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. Mandatory Photo Credit : /CSM Tennis 2026: BNP Paribas Open MAR 14 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY – ZUMAc04_ 20260314_zma_c04_054 Copyright: xCharlesxBausx
Alexander Zverev continues to put in solid performances at the Monte Carlo Masters. The World No. 3 successfully resisted Joao Fonseca‘s fightback and recorded a hard-fought 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals. This result has seen him enter the semis of the tournament for the third time in his career. However, despite a valiant display on the court, Zverev wasn’t quite satisfied.
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“In terms of level, I’m not sure. I don’t think it was a great match, to be honest, for either of us. But, as I said, this is the first week on clay for all of us. It wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t the most beautiful sneaker, but I won. I’m in the semifinals. I’m very happy with that,” Zverev said in an on-court interview after the match.
Further commenting about his clash against Fonseca, Zverev felt that it was the third set where he was at his best. He also admitted to having a difficult time on clay in comparison to the hard courts.
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“I feel like the best tennis set for me was the third. This shows an improvement. And again, that’s the most important thing this week, to show evolution. Also find a little more of my aggressive game, because I’m having a little more difficulty on clay than I had on hard courts. But, overall, I’m in the semifinals, and I’m happy with that.”
Having gotten past the quarterfinals, Zverev now awaits the result of the match between Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime, as he will be facing the winner of this encounter in the semis. While the 28-year-old may fancy his chances against Auger-Aliassime, it can be a major problem for him if Sinner is the one who goes through.
For context, Sinner has defeated Zverev in their past seven meetings and currently leads the H2H by 8-4. Two of those victories have come this year itself, and coincidentally, both of the matches were semifinals.
The first loss had come at the Indian Wells Open where Sinner had made light work of Zverev, defeating him 6-2, 6-4. The two would meet again in the semis, but this time at the Miami Open.
The Italian started the match strong on this occasion as well and comfortably clinched the first set. However, Zverev fought back and dragged the second set to a tie-breaker. But it just wasn’t meant to be as Sinner proved to be too good in the end and won the tiebreaker to seal the match 6-3, 7-6.
On the other hand, Auger-Aliassime is also going to be a tricky opponent for Zverev if he ends up making it to the semis. While the World No. 3 may currently lead the H2H by 6-4, he has lost his last two encounters against the Canadian. The two had last met in the group stage of the 2025 ATP finals, where Auger-Aliassime had claimed a 6-4, 7-6 victory.
It is safe to say that Zverev’s upcoming encounter is going to be quite tough. A victory in the semis would mean a lot for the German, as unlike both Sinner and Auger-Aliassime, he is still searching for a singles title this year.
Alexander Zverev yet to claim a singles title in 2026
It has been a bittersweet season for Zverev so far. While the 28-year-old has managed to reach the later stages of most of the tournaments he has played, he has failed to go past the finish line and clinch a singles title. He had begun the year by reaching the semis of the Australian Open, where he was defeated by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5 in a five-hour thriller.
Zverev would barely compete in February and even withdrew from the Rotterdam Open due to recurring ankle problems. This issue also saw him miss some other tournaments during the month before he eventually made his return with the Mexican Open.
But, Zverev didn’t look to be at his best and suffered a second-round exit against Miomir Kecmanović. However, he did unexpectedly manage win the doubles event alongside Brazil’s Marcelo Melo.
Zverev would then be in action at the ‘Sunshine Double’, where he would end up going down to Sinner on both occasions, that too in the semis.
Having already faced multiple last 4 exits this season, Zverev will be looking to put all those results behind him and start his clay-court season on a high. It remains to be seen if he will go on to clinch his first title of the season in Monte Carlo.
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Edited by
Firdows Matheen