With every tournament that passes by, Alexander Zverev is becoming a much stronger name of the ATP professional circuit. Currently ranked eighth in the world, The 20-year-old has made it to his fifth ATP final of the season. His tennis is on an upward trend, and by the end of the season, Zverev is likely to break into the top 5 for the first time in his career. With Djokovic and Murray out of the equation and Murray still struggling with injury and form, Federer and Nadal won't be able to fill up all the blank space. Thus, there is plenty of room for the young German to put the basis of his domain.
At City Open (ATP 500 event). Zverev is looking like a potential ruler of the game. He got past 2015 City Open champion Kei Nishikori of Japan to book a final with Kevin Anderson who is having a late surge.
Zverev outplayed Nishikori on every chapter
Zverev (8 ATP) and Nishikori (9 ATP) had their very first encounter in Washington D.C. Although the Japanese had the experience on his side, he couldn't use any of it as Alexander Zverev produced some ferocious tennis from his racket head. The opening set saw the 20-year-old quickly getting in front with an early break and a solid first serve. Despite struggling to bounce back, Nishikori wasn't able to turn the table the other way around. Zverev sealed the set by 6-3.
On his serve, Zverev left nothing uncharted as he lost a single point throughout the set. The second act had a similar scenario with Nishikori losing his serve in the third game. That was enough for his opponent who made another perfect show. In the end, it was 6-3 6-4 for the young ATP tennis star who has now the chance to win a fourth ATP title of the season.
In head to head stats, Zverev leads Kevin Anderson, a former top 10, by 2-0.
Zverev has been on a roll this season
At 20 years of age, he has already established himself as a name to watch for the future. With three titles under his belt this season ( Montpellier, Munich, and Rome) he has entered inside the top 10 for the first time.
He did great especially in Rome where he captured his first Masters 1000 title defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. He is yet to deliver when it comes to Grand Slam tournaments. Back in January, he reached the third round of the Australian Open only to lose in five sets to the eventual runner-up Rafael Nadal. At the French Open, he was stunned by Fernando Verdasco in the opening round while at Wimbledon he fell short against Milos Raonic in the fourth round. Still, US Open may present itself as a great opportunity. His current ranking and the fact that Djokovic and Wawrinka won't be in the draw will certainly put Zverev among the first eight seed. That could give him few easier early-rounds tests which may be just enough for him to gather momentum at Flushing Meadows.
