Australian Open 2020: Alexander Zverev beats Stan Wawrinka to advance to his first Grand Slam semi-final

By Sai Siddhharth
Modified Jan 29, 2020 11:11 GMT
Alexander Zverev outclassed Wawrinka in four sets to book his place in the last four.
Alexander Zverev outclassed Wawrinka in four sets to book his place in the last four.

Alexander Zverev advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career after outclassing Stan Wawrinka in four sets at the Rod Laver Arena.

Even though Wawrinka won the first set comprehensively, Zverev clawed his way back into the game to win the contest 1-6,6-3,6-4,6-2. Zverev will next face the winner of the clash between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.

All it took for the German to wrap up the match was two hours and 19 minutes. After his win over the Swiss, this is what Zverev had to say.

"After that first set, I was getting ready to talk to the press about why I lost in straight sets. I turned it around and my energy picked up a bit. I wasn't used to his ball... I needed a set to get used it. Thank God it worked out. It feels awesome. I’ve done well in other tournaments, but I could never break that barrier in Grand Slams. I’m happy to be in the semi-finals. You can’t imagine what this means to me and I hope it will be the first of many.”

When asked about the blockbuster clash between Thiem and Nadal, Zverev said,

” I’ll have a cold glass of Coca-Cola in my hotel room, with air conditioning, hopefully watching them play for six hours.That’s my assessment of that match.”

Zverev is being billed as the Next Gen hopeful who can potentially end the oligopoly of the ‘Big Three’ in Grand Slam events. And with his comprehensive victory over Wawrinka, Zverev has sent a strong signal that he is not to be taken lightly.

Follow Sportskeeda to get the full Australian Open 2020 Schedule, Australian Open 2020 Results, Australian Open Winners, latest news & updates.