IT was a mix of styles in both Cologne and Antwerp as the German tournament went largely to plan, whilst a huge upset headlined the Belgian event.

Top seed and tournament favourite Alexander Zverev is within reach of completing the Cologne double having taken out the indoors tournament last week and now into the semi-finals of the championships. He had to fight off a determined eighth seed Frenchman Adrian Mannarino to advance through to the semis on a day that was largely predictable.

Zverev won 6-4 6-7 6-4, serving 16 aces and winning 83 per cent of his second serve points off a 65 per cent efficiency. He did produce nine double faults and was far from completely clean, dropping the second set in a tight tiebreaker, 7-5, but bounced back to grind out a tough win in two hours and 40 minutes, breaking four times from 11 chances to his opponent’s two from seven.

“I am in the semi-finals in back-to-back weeks,” Zverev said post-match, “I won last week and I hope I can repeat it this week. It is nice to play in front of a little bit of a crowd. They got me through it as well.”

Now the top seed and home favourite will lock horns with Italian young gun, Jannik Sinner after the teenager bounced back from a game-less second set to win 6-3 0-6 6-4 against determined Frenchman Gilles Simon.

Sinner broke four times from five chances, but it was his determination on serve to save a whopping 16 of 21 chances for his opponent, with three of the five breaks coming in that second set. The Italian had a higher serving efficiency and eon more points on serve and a higher percentage on return, but it was a tough haul through the mid-part of the game.

“He didn’t give me any angles and played down the middle. He was very solid and I tried to play more on his forehand,” Sinner said post-match. “Losing eight games [in a row] can happen, but next time I need to find a solution earlier. He played far better than me in the second set. I got a little emotional in the third set, but I wanted to show that I wanted to win.”

In other results, Argentinian Diego Schwartzman came back from a set down to win against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 2-6 7-6 6-1, whilst fifth seed Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime booked his spot in the semis with a 6-3 6-4 triumph over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

Both semi-finals are at night tomorrow with Zverev and Sinner locking horns first before Auger-Aliassime and Schwartzman do battle straight afterwards.

COLOGNE CHAMPIONSHIPS QUARTER FINALS RESULTS:

[1] Alexander Zverev (GER) defeated [8] Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-4 6-7 6-4
[2] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) 2-6 7-6 6-1
[5] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) defeated Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-3 6-4
[WC] Jannik Sinner (ITA) defeated Gilles Simon (FRA) 6-3 0-6 6-4

Meanwhile in Antwerp, Daniel Evans is gunning to become the third consecutive British winner of the European Open after booking his spot in the semi-finals. Kyle Edmund and Andy Murray have won the event the past two years and now Evans is through to the final four after upstaging third seed Russian Karen Khachanov in a come-from-behind victory, 3-6 7-6 6-4.

Evans was hard to beat on serve, and whilst he is not a huge server, produced four aces and won an elite 84 per cent of his first serve points, as well as more than half of his second serve points. Khachanov is a known big server but could only produce seven aces, and while he also had a 59 per cent serving efficiency, could only capitalist on a lower 75 per cent of his first serve points. He struggled off Evans’ serve and despite winning the same amount of points as Evans (105), went down with the Brit’s second break of the match in the deciding set in two hours and 40 minutes.

“It is nice to play these guys and it is why you play the sport, to play the better players,” Evans said post-match. “I am pretty clear on how I have to play to beat them and that is what I do. “I try and execute that plan and I have done that pretty good against the better guys.”

Now Evans will face Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals after the up and comer toppled South African qualifier Lloyd Harris. Humbert won 6-3 7-6 in the match for his third win of 2020 against Harris, dominating off his first serve to break two times to won and win 83 per cent of his first serve points alongside seven aces. The tall Harris also did well with five aces from a 75 per cent success rate on his first serve, but struggled off his second serve, winning just six of 17 points.

Meanwhile, Australian Alex de Minaur will take on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the other semi-final. The eighth seed Australian toppled American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-3 6-0 in 58 minutes, while the fourth seed Dimitrov did not even need to take the court following Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic‘s withdrawal pre-game due to an abdominal strain.

Evans and Humbert are up first in the semi-finals tomorrow afternoon, with de Minaur and Dimitrov following that match.

EUROPEAN OPEN RESULTS:

Daniel Evans (GBR) defaeted [3] Karen Khachanov (RUS) 3-6 7-6 6-4
[4] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) defeated [5] Milos Raonic (CAN) W/O
[8] Alex de Minaur (AUS) defeated [Q] Marc Giron (USA) 6-3 6-0
Ugo Humbert (FRA) defeated [Q] Lloyd Harris (RSA) 6-3 7-6

Picture credit: Laurie Dieffebacq