By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 2, 2018
"it was unbelievably special. I hope we maybe play a final one day," Alexander Zverev said after defeating older brother Mischa Zverev in Washington, DC.
Photo credit: @Citi Open
The net divided the Zverevs for two hours.
In the end, the first ATP Tour-level brotherly battle between Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev ended with the brothers in arms.
Watch: Noah Rubin Shreds Shoe, Topples Isner
Defending Washington, DC champion Alexander Zverev saved a set point squeezing out a 6-3, 7-5, triumph over older brother Mischa Zverev to surge into his eighth quarterfinal of the the season at the Citi Open.
On his second match point, the top-seeded Alexander channeled his brother digging out a slick half-volley that eluded Mischa, who never stopped running.
Sprinting around the net, Mischa wrapped his arms around his younger brother in an emotional embrace.
It was a picture-perfect climax to a match that began with left-handed Mischa pinching back tears after standing side-by-side with right-handed Sascha in the opening photo-op.
"When we had the coin toss, we took a picture and then we walked back and the crowd was cheering I almost had tears in my eyes," Mischa Zverev told Tennis Channel's Justin Gimelstob afterward. "Because this feels so special, I wonder what my parents are thinking right now. I need a few seconds to like bite my tongue and focus. It took me a few seconds. To me, it was incredibly special."
The first ATP Tour-level brotherly clash since Gerald Melzer beat older brother Jurgen Melzer in the 2016 Kitzbuhel quarterfinals tested the emotions of both brothers, who are doubles partners in DC.
"Obviously, very special as Mischa said," Alexander Zverev told Tennis Channel's Justin Gimelstob afterward. "Who can say you played your brother at one of the biggest tournaments in the world? "So it was unbelievably special. I hope it's not the last time. I hope we maybe play a final one day or something like that. Hopefully, the first of many."
The Zverevs grew up practicing together and know each other's game so thoroughly this match was a mind game with each brother anticipating the other's replies in rallies with near psychic-prescience at times.
"We know each other so actually when he hit certain shots I kind of know what he's thinking and feeling," Mischa said. "So it's interesting. It gives you an advantage, but also a disadvantage because he also knows what I am thinking and that stresses me out at times as well.
"But I think overall we had a few great rallies. I think we played pretty well. I was hitting my forehand because I have to against him. Sometimes against other players I just try to roll it and be defensive, but it doesn't work against him."
Not much worked against the top seed in the opening set.
The 6'6" Sascha is the bigger brother, bigger hitter and stronger server.
Dictating with his heavy serve on a sticky night, Sascha did not face a break point rolling through the opening set in 28 minutes.
The 30-year-old Mischa is nine years older than Sascha and shows softer hands and sharper savvy in the front court.
Deadlocked at 30-all in the third game, Mischa ran down his brother's volley and answered with a tremendous running forehand flick pass that left Sascha throwing his Head racquet at the ball in vain then shooting a smile toward his brother, who held for 2-1.
The Montreal champion blasted a two-handed backhand winner down the line breaking for a 3-2 second-set lead.
At that point, Sascha appeared on track for a straight sets win.
Mischa had other ideas. Exploiting a double fault, Mischa roared back to break back at love on his brother's forehand error to level at 3-all.
Struggling to land his first serve, Sascha denied a break point in the eighth game, slashing a serve down the T to cap a tense 11-minute hold for 4-all.
Eastbourne champion Mischa held in the ninth game before a 15-minute rain delay struck.
When play resumed, Sascha erased a set point with a first-serve rocket down the middle, eventually holding.
Ultimately, Sascha's superior explosiveness from the baseline was the difference tonight. Sascha has much bigger backswings than Mischa, whose compact strokes are designed to help him move forward in the court.
Unleashing some heavy baseline blast, Sascha banged out the break for 6-5.
On his second match point, Sascha channeled his older brother with that slick scoop half volley closing in one hour, 51 minutes to raise his record to 38-11 on the season.
It was Sascha Zverev's seventh straight Washington, DC win sending him into a quarterfinal showdown with either 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori or ninth-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov for a semifinal spot.
But first there was some unfinished brotherly business: the Zverevs are due back out on court tonight partnering in doubles.
"It's family," Mischa Zverev said. "In the end, it doesn't matter what happens on court."