Zverev reaches semis, Murray withdraws

WASHINGTON: Defending champion Alexander Zverev outlasted Japan’s Kei Nishikori 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 Friday to reach the ATP Washington Open semi-finals while three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray withdrew citing fatigue.

Zverev booked a Saturday semi-final against 10th-seeded Greek 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, who eliminated Belgian third seed David Goffin 6-3, 6-4 in just 74 minutes.

Australian Alex De Minaur, another 19-year-old, reached the semi-finals by walkover when Murray withdrew, citing the fatigue of three grueling three-set wins that kept him on the court more than eight hours in total.

Murray, who also withdrew from next week’s Toronto Masters event, was in only his third event back and first hardcourt event since March 2017 at Indian Wells after an 11-month layoff with a hip injury.

“I’m exhausted after playing so much over the last four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months,” Murray said.

De Minaur will next play either Russian 16th seed Andrey Rublev or American Denis Kudla, whose match was postponed to Saturday, among with three women’s quarter-finals, by a fifth consecutive day of rain.

If Rublev advances, Zverev will be the oldest semi-finalist at 21. His reaction: “My God, that hasn’t happened to me before.”

Tsitsipas reached the fourth round last month at Wimbledon, becoming the first Greek player in the last 16 of a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

In the WTA event, Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, seeking her seventh title and first since 2015, downed Swiss sixth seed Belinda Bencic 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8) to reach the semi-finals. She earlier beat reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens.