Forget the seedings for a minute. Zverev is number one here and Djokovic is sixth, but nothing about this quarter-final has looked like a mismatch. They split the first two sets, and the third was tied at 2-2 the last time I checked, with Djokovic serving at 15-15.
The story so far
Zverev took set one 6-4. Djokovic took set two 6-4. Same score, but the sets felt different. In the first, the German’s serve did the damage. In the second, Djokovic started reading it and got his returns in play.
What the stats say
Zverev has hit 16 aces to Djokovic’s 3, and he hasn’t double-faulted. Djokovic has, three times.
Yet Djokovic leads on total points, 75 to 71. That suggests Zverev’s big serving is covering for a rougher time in the rallies. Each man has held serve 11 times and broken once, so there’s very little between them.
My read on the decider
Whoever blinks first on serve probably wins. For Djokovic that means his second serve, and for Zverev it means keeping that first-serve percentage up when he’s tired.
Where to watch
- US: Tennis Channel and ATP Tennis TV
- Serbia: SportKlub 1 HD and 2 HD
- France: Eurosport 1
- Finland: MTV Urheilu 2 HD
- Italy: Supertennis HD
I couldn’t find a confirmed broadcaster for India, so check your usual sports channels or an ATP Tennis TV subscription.
After this
The winner goes into the semi-finals. Zverev also plays doubles tonight with Marcelo Melo, so if this goes long, he has a busy night ahead.
Scores are from the time of writing and will have moved on.