Alexander Zverev advanced to his maiden semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Arthur Fils. The German's win on Thursday made him the fifth player to reach the last four at all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. He now faces Jannik Sinner for a spot in the final.
Alexander Zverev produced a controlled performance to defeat Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. The match lasted 82 minutes on a balmy Thursday afternoon, marking Zverev's first semi-final appearance at the tournament.
Twelve months earlier, Zverev had exited in the second round against Tallon Griekspoor. This year, his improved form has led to this milestone. By reaching the last four, Zverev joined Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray as only the fifth player to achieve semi-final appearances at every ATP Masters 1000 event since 1990.
"It was definitely a very good match," Zverev said. "Arthur is somebody who — when he’s healthy — is one of the best players in the world. He was on the way to the Top 10 last year, but an injury stopped him. I’m sure he’s going to be back at that level very soon."
Zverev, who improved his head-to-head record against Fils to 5-2, saved all three break points he faced and hit seven aces. He frequently used drop shots to disrupt Fils' rhythm in the desert conditions.
Fils, a 21-year-old Frenchman, returned last month from an eight-month back injury. He reached the final in Doha, losing to Carlos Alcaraz, and beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round at Indian Wells.
In the semi-finals, Zverev will meet World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who earlier defeated Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 in 66 minutes. Zverev holds a five-match losing streak against Sinner but has won seven Masters 1000 titles overall. A title in Indian Wells would see him reclaim the No. 3 ranking spot from Djokovic.
