Zverev beats tummy bug, sets up Medvedev clash in Halle
Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8).
Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel.
Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally.
"I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said.
"I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match."
The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings.
"I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added.
"A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him."
Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout.
However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set.
The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2.
Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac.
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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Zverev beats tummy bug, sets up Medvedev clash in Halle
Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac. Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac. Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac. Alexander Zverev's quest for a first grass-court title has taken an unexpected turn at the Halle Open when the German second seed was forced to sprint from court to vomit mid-match before returning to defeat Italy's Flavio Cobolli 6-4 7-6 (10-8). Second seed Zverev started Friday's quarter-final on the front foot by breaking in the first game but as he was serving in the second, he requested a toilet break to throw up and bolted off down the tunnel. Once he returned, Zverev struggled with the intensity at first and clearly looked unwell, bending over in exhaustion after points and gasping for breath after a marathon rally. "I felt fine before the match. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I felt really, really bad. I felt ill, went to throw up and then 15 minutes later, I felt OK again," Zverev said. "I don't know what it was, I've never experienced that before. I hope I'll be fine in the next couple of hours when the adrenaline settles. After that, I think it was a pretty good match." The semi-final will pit Zverev against Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a familiar foe who holds a 12-7 head-to-head advantage over him and has won their last three meetings. "I think he's the guy that I played the most in my career. I'm looking forward to it," Zverev added. "A lot of things happened in the last 18 months. He's one of my toughest opponents in my career. It's going to be a great match and I'm really looking forward to facing him." Medvedev moved into the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over American Alex Michelsen despite suffering a nosebleed in the second set which forced the 2021 Halle runner-up to take a medical timeout. However, the Russian served well to deny his opponent a single break point opportunity and wrapped up the contest in 85 minutes as he reached the last four without dropping a set. The other semi-final will feature 2023 champion Alexander Bublik, who knocked out last year's winner Jannik Sinner in the previous round, taking on eighth seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2. Bublik fired 37 winners in his 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over Tomas Machac.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
16 straight wins: Alcaraz powers on at Queen's Club
Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final. Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final. Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final. Carlos Alcaraz has overcome another tricky obstacle at the Queen's Club Championship as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Wimbledon champion Alcaraz toiled for three hours in stifling heat on Thursday to edge past fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar in a titanic scrap and afterwards admitted he did not know how he was still standing. It was far more straightforward against unseeded Rinderknech, the player he also beat in his opening match two years ago when he went on to win the title at the prestigious Wimbledon warm-up event in west London. The 22-year-old converted each of his two break points on another sweltering Friday as he extended his sequence of match wins to a career-long 16. "I could be better. Honestly I was thinking I was going to feel much worse than I did today," five-time grand slam champion Alcaraz said on court. "I'm glad it was only one hour 20 minutes today." Britain's Jack Draper also continued his Wimbledon build-up successfully as he reached the semi-finals at Queen's for the first time with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 defeat of American Brandon Nakashima. Draper not only kept himself on track for the prestigious ATP 500 title, but also secured the win that guarantees a top-four seeding at Wimbledon where he will be the big home hope. The 23-year-old was fully tested by world No.32 Nakashima and his powerful game began to misfire as he lost the second set on the Andy Murray Arena. But Draper settled back into the groove in the deciding set and broke serve in the seventh game with one of his trademark forehand pile drivers. The left-hander had to save a break point when serving for the match at 5-4 but recovered to seal victory and set up a clash with Czech Jiri Lehecka, the conqueror of Alex de Minaur who had earlier on Friday beaten Britain's Jacob Fearnley 7-5 6-2. "It means the world to me to reach the semi-finals here," said Draper, bidding to become the first British player to win the title at the prestigious west London club since Murray won for a record fifth time in 2016. "I think there's going to be an even bigger buzz at the weekend and that will give me more energy to keep progressing." While being ranked fourth means Draper will avoid either defending champion Alcaraz or world No.1 Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Draper shrugged off its significance. "I kept getting asked about that by the journalists but I've got to reach the semi-finals first," he said. Alcaraz will face either fourth seed Holger Rune or Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Liverpool make German star Wirtz their record signing
Liverpool have signed Germany's Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen as the English champions smashed their transfer record to seal a deal for the attacking midfielder. Leverkusen will receive a guaranteed amount of Stg 100 million ($A209 million) and a further maximum of Stg 16 million ($A33 million) in potential bonuses. That makes the 22-year-old Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever, ahead of Netherlands centre-back and captain Virgil van Dijk who joined for Stg 75 million ($A156 million) in 2017. Wirtz, who signed a five-year contract, also becomes the fifth 100 million pound-plus signing in Premier League history, joining Chelsea midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. "I feel very happy and very proud. Finally it's done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it's done and I am really happy," Wirtz said in a statement on Friday. "I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League." With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also heavily linked with a move to German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, who were looking to replace Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian playmaker's exit. Wirtz was instrumental at Leverkusen, leading them to an undefeated domestic league and Cup double in the 2023-24 season while they went two league seasons without an away defeat. The German bagged 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen, having joined the club from Cologne in 2020. He scored 16 goals, with 15 assists, in 45 matches last season as Leverkusen finished second to Bayern. Capped 31 times by his country since his debut in 2021, Wirtz is the only player to register 10 or more goals and assists in the last two Bundesliga seasons. His signing is a statement of intent from Liverpool as they look to build on their success under Slot, the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the sixth coach to win the title in their first season. "I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work," Wirtz added. He becomes Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, also from Leverkusen.
