Zverev beats Fery 6-0 6-2 in Vienna and nears the world No 1 ranking

Zverev wins in under an hour

Alexander Zverev beat Britain's Arthur Fery 6-0 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Friday, 30 October. The match lasted 59 minutes, and the German hit 19 winners before converting his first match point. Fery won no games in the first set, and his first game of the match came after 39 minutes, at 0-6, 1-2 in the second set. He finished with two games in total. Zverev will face Alex de Minaur in the semi-final on Saturday, 31 October, his 12th semi-final of the year.

Path to the world No 1 ranking

Zverev is set to replace Jannik Sinner as world No 1 on Monday, 2 November, a rise he secured by beating Tallon Griekspoor in the last 16 on Thursday, 29 October. He would become the second German man to top the rankings, after Boris Becker in 1991. The reigning French Open and US Open champion said he had struggled to sleep on the Thursday night and felt somewhat tired, but he felt good on court and hoped that would continue. The Wimbledon semi-final rematch with Fery was the first of his wins that set up this run of form, and the ranking change follows directly from his results in Vienna.

Fery's Vienna run and Zverev's view of him

Fery, a 24-year-old wild card, reached the Wimbledon semi-finals this summer, where Zverev beat him in three sets. Since then he has struggled to reproduce that form, and Vienna was only their second meeting. Zverev said the Briton had less firepower than the Dutchman he beat on Thursday but played tactically very well and was extremely fast. Zverev also put Fery at 35 in the world rankings and noted that this is the 24-year-old's first full year on tour.

Zverev then addressed Fery directly in his on-court interview, saying he hoped the Briton would keep going with his work.

“For him, I hope he keeps his head up and continues the work he's doing.”

Zverev, first set6

Fery, first set0

Zverev, second set6

Fery, second set2

Zverev, first set

6 games

Fery, first set

0 games

Zverev, second set

6 games

Fery, second set

2 games

Data from the article text

Semi-final line-up and the rest of the draw

In the other quarter-final, Alex de Minaur beat Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-4) 6-2, a win that brought him to 350 tour-level wins and made him the ninth Australian man to reach that mark, according to The Guardian. Carlos Alcaraz, the world No 3, beat seventh seed Tommy Paul 6-4 7-6 (2) in an hour and 50 minutes and will face Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final. Medvedev beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-3, which secured his place in the ATP Finals in Turin. Alcaraz has won his past 24 matches at ATP 500 level, and he is a seven-time grand slam champion. Zverev and Fery could meet again in late November, when Germany face Britain in the Davis Cup quarter-final.