Australian Open: Zverev Reaches Into Quarterfinals With An Impressive Win Over Ugo Humbert

January 19, 2025: Alexander Zverev continued his dominant form against left-handed opponents, extending his winning streak to 26 consecutive victories with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Ugo Humbert to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals.

The World No. 2, still in pursuit of his first Grand Slam title, expressed his delight after the match, acknowledging Humbert’s strong performance in the second set. “I’m extremely happy to be in the quarter-finals after losing only one set, and my opponent played incredible [to win that set],” Zverev said.

Zverev, who had some concerns about his level a week prior, played a solid match, firing 43 winners, including 19 aces, and winning 84 percent of his first-serve points. His strong return game limited Humbert’s success, as the Frenchman could only manage a 23 percent success rate on second-serve points. The German star has now won all six of his matches this season, with 14 victories in his last 15 outings, dating back to his title at the Paris Masters in November.

Zverev’s road to the quarterfinals included straight-set victories over Lucas Pouille, Pedro Martinez, and Jacob Fearnley. He now faces 12th seed Tommy Paul, who delivered a dominant performance in his fourth-round match, defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in just 87 minutes. Paul was relentless throughout, limiting Fokina to only three games, while focusing on controlling the pace of the match. “When you’re playing one of those guys, it’s always tough because you don’t know at any point, he can turn it on and the match could be completely different,” Paul said after the match.

This marks Zverev’s third appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, and his second at the Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals in 2023. The upcoming quarterfinal clash between Zverev and Paul is set to be an exciting one as both players look to continue their strong campaigns in Melbourne.