(Video) Alexander Zverev Waves Goodbye to Heckler After Reaching Canadian Open Semifinal

First seed Alexander Zverev will be locking horns with Karen Khachanov in the semifinals of the Canadian Open.

(Video) Alexander Zverev Waves Goodbye to Heckler After Reaching Canadian Open Semifinal

Alexander Zverev silences a heckler in Toronto (Image via ABC, X/ESPN Tennis)

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Alexander Zverev took another stride toward his second title of the season. On Monday (August 4), he came from a set down to knock defending champion Alexei Popyrin out of the Canadian Open to book a spot in the semifinals of the event for the second time.

He beat not only Popyrin but also silenced a heckling fan. Right after winning the last point of the match, Sascha turned toward the heckler and waved goodbye before approaching Popyrin for the customary handshake.

Watch the video here:

Zverev became a champion at the Canadian Open in 2017 by beating 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. Since then, he couldn’t progress beyond the quarterfinals in his next four appearances, including last year. Sebastian Korda was the reason for his exit in the previous season.

Zverev’s semifinal opponent is 11th seed Karen Khachanov, who reached the last eight after ousting Alex Michelsen. While the three-time Grand Slam finalist is chasing his eighth Masters 1000 title, the Russian has lifted only the 2018 Paris Masters (by beating Novak Djokovic) to win a title in this category.

Since that win, he hasn’t yet captured a trophy in the ATP 500 or above category. He is also aiming to reach a final this season. Zverev last lifted a Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters last year by breezing past Ugo Humbert.

In the head-to-head matchups, the first seed leads 5-2 and last met Khachanov in the third round of last year’s Cincinnati Masters, which the former won in straight sets. Khachanov is a two-time semifinalist in Toronto (2018, 2019).

Alexander Zverev recalls his heartbreaking defeat in the Australian Open final

Alexander Zverev has reached three finals this season: at the Australian Open, BMW Open, and the Stuttgart Open. In Munich, he won by beating Ben Shelton, while in Stuttgart, Taylor Fritz secured the win to register his fifth consecutive win over the World No.3.

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev
Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev (Image via ATP/X)

At the Australian Open, Zverev succumbed to a straight-set defeat against World No.1 Jannik Sinner. The 28-year-old recently sat for an interview with the Nothing Major podcast, where, among other topics, he talked about that upsetting defeat.

I went into the match believing I am going to win this. This is my third final, I am going to win it. I was going into the match feeling so confident, and then in that match, I got smoked. He was doing everything better than me at that moment.

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz denied him the French Open title with a five-set win in the final. Zverev reached his career’s first Major final at the 2020 US Open and ended up squandering a 2-0 lead against Dominic Thiem en route to his defeat.

I was serving better than him, but apart from the serve, he literally did everything better than me. I came off the court, and I was like ‘Wow!’. I just have no idea. I just didn’t know what the hell to do. I kind of had a really tough time mentally after that match.

Alexander Zverev added

Sinner is not in Toronto as he deemed it best to skip the Masters 1000 tournament to focus more on rest and recovery before starting his campaign for the North American hard-court swing. He will return to tennis in Cincinnati to play the Masters 1000 event as the defending champion. Last year, he beat home favorite Frances Tiafoe in the final.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has so far lifted two titles this season: the Australian Open and Wimbledon (by beating Alcaraz). Apart from these two events, he also reached the finals of the Italian Open and the French Open, losing both to the five-time Grand Slam champion.

Also read: Alex de Minaur Opens Up About Feeling Mentally Burned Out Due to the Ever-Growing Demands of the Men’s Circuit