Zverev Ends Kokkinakis’ Run, Reaches Miami QFs

Alexander Zverev continued the quest for his first title of the season Tuesday, overcoming Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The World No. 4 captured six tour-level titles in a standout 2021 campaign but has yet to strike gold this year, with his best result coming in Montpellier where he reached the final.

Zverev is playing with confidence in Florida this week, however, having moved past Borna Coric and Mackenzie McDonald in his opening two matches. The 24-year-old dictated the forehand exchanges against Kokkinakis and played with greater consistency from the baseline to advance after one hour and 32 minutes.

“I wanted to shorten the points as it was quite hot,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “Thanasi is a very aggressive player so I tried to take that away from him. I was returning the second serve quite well. I kept putting pressure on him and kept being aggressive and it worked out well.”

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With his victory on Hard Rock Stadium, Zverev now leads the 25-year-old 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. The second seed will next face Casper Ruud after the Norwegian swept aside 10th seed Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4.

“Casper is a great player and playing incredibly well right now, so I am ready for a tough battle,” Zverev added.

Zverev is making his seventh appearance in Miami, with his best result reaching the championship match in 2018, when the event was held at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne.

Zverev played with great intensity at the start of the first set as he demonstrated impressive footwork to move inside the baseline and control points on his forehand. Kokkinakis struggled to impose his dynamic game on the German, who gained the crucial break in the fifth game in the first set before soaring through his service games to move ahead.

The German continued to control proceedings in the second set as he frequently finished points at the net after pulling the Australian from side to side. Zverev broke Kokkinakis to move into a 3-2 lead and from there he put his foot on the accelerator to advance.

Kokkinakis was aiming to reach the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. The World No. 97 has enjoyed a strong start to the season, capturing his maiden tour-level title in Adelaide before he lifted the Australian Open men’s doubles trophy with Nick Kyrgios.