Miami [US], March 29 : Alexander Zverev made sure Fabian Marozsan's two Top 10 victories did not become a hat-trick at the ongoing Miami Open.
The World No. 5 earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the Hungarian, who had previously defeated Top 10 stars Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur on his way to the final eight.
Zverev won 80 per cent of his first-serve points throughout the one-hour and 37-minute match.
"I'm happy to be back in these late stages of these tournaments, playing the best players in the world, I think there are only those left. Looking forward to the challenge," Zverev said as quoted by ATP.
The 26-year-old made only 10 unforced mistakes against Marozan's 23. Zverev maintained an aggressive baseline posture to thwart the Hungarian's early cuts at the ball, forcing him to chase down numerous exquisite drop shots from Marozsan.
"If he keeps playing like that, he's going to rise up the rankings very quickly. He always rushes [you]... I think when all top players feel like they are in control, they feel like they manage the match and play the match a little bit in their own favour and against him, it's not possible. That's why he has such a great Top 10 record [4-2]. He's an unbelievable player," Zverev said.
Zverev, a 21-time tour-level champion, is seeking for his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title and first since 2021 Cincinnati.
With an 18-5 season record, Zverev will next face 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals.