Alexander Zverev’s pursuit of a maiden grass-court title took an unexpected turn at the Halle Open on Friday, as the German was forced to vomit mid-match before recovering to defeat Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6(8) and book a semi-final showdown with Daniil Medvedev.
The world number four made a strong start by breaking Cobolli’s serve in the opening game, but just minutes later, he abruptly requested a toilet break and sprinted off court to be sick. Despite the setback, Zverev returned to finish the match and eventually found enough rhythm to close out the win in straight sets.
“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 after the match. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before. I hope I’ll feel better once the adrenaline wears off.”
Although visibly unwell for much of the contest, Zverev showed resilience, digging deep to keep pace with Cobolli. He managed to land his first ace on set point to claim the opener and edged a tight second set in a tense tiebreak. Zverev finished the match with 22 winners and 12 points at the net, despite not being at his physical best.
His semi-final opponent will be Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, who advanced after defeating American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-3. Medvedev encountered a brief scare of his own during the match when he suffered a nosebleed in the second set, prompting a medical timeout. Nevertheless, he controlled the match throughout, not facing a single break point and wrapping up victory in just 85 minutes.
“The shadows on the court made the conditions quite difficult. It took some time to get used to it. It was then better in the second set,” said Medvedev, who will return to the ATP top 10 in time for Wimbledon.
Zverev and Medvedev are no strangers. The Russian leads their head-to-head 12-7 and has won their last three meetings. “I think he’s the guy that I’ve played the most in my career,” Zverev said. “He’s one of my toughest opponents. It’s going to be a great match and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The semi-final promises a high-stakes encounter between two of the tour’s most consistent performers, both eyeing momentum ahead of Wimbledon.
