Alexander Zverev leaves behind Jannik Sinner & Casper Ruud to reach 50-win mark on ATP Tour

Alexander Zverev will face Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta in the third round at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

German tennis star Alexander Zverev has become the first ATP player to win 50 matches in 2024. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist reached the feat after he defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the second round at the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

Khachanov started his campaign with a resounding victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-0, 6-3. However, he failed to get past third seed Alexander Zverev and lost 6-3, 6-2. With the win, Zverev currently leads Khachanov 5-2 in their head-to-head record.

This season, Zverev has played a total of 65 matches before the 2024 Cincinnati Open round three. With a win/loss record of 50-15, the German tennis star is currently the only player on the tour to complete the 50-win mark. Trailing behind him are Jannik Sinner (45-5), Casper Ruud (44-13) and Carlos Alcaraz (38-7).

He has won only one title this year, which came in Rome in May. However, apart from the Italian Open, Zverev has failed to maintain his top form this season. He lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals at the Australian Open. Meanwhile, he suffered a heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland-Garros final.

At the Wimbledon Championships, his campaign was halted by Taylor Fritz in the Round of 16. Apart from that, he also came up short against Germany’s Arthur Fils in the German Open final.

Nifty 50 🙌2021 champ @AlexZverev defeats Khachanov 6-3 6-2 to become the first ATP player to hit the 50-win mark in 2024! #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/JwzgRKlA7f

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 15, 2024

In addition to that, he has also played 10 doubles matches, winning six. In the third round, he will face Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta, who has beaten Sebastian Korda and Max Purcell in the initial rounds.

The 27-year-old reached the final at Flushing Meadows in 2020, where he lost to Dominic Thiem in a mouth-watering five-setter 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6 (8–6). Much like his loss to Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon in July, he lost to Thiem after winning the initial two sets.

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In 2021, he lost to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in five sets in the semi-finals and missed the event in 2022 due to a horrific knee injury he suffered during the 2024 French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Last year, he bowed out of the quarter-finals after losing 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz. Thus, the German tennis star would aim to gain momentum in Cincinnati before moving to New York, later this month.

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