Alexander Zverev held off a strong challenge from Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca Friday to reach the Rolex Monte-Carlo semi-finals with a 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-3 victory in two hours, 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
He learned an important lesson in the process: If you have your foot on your opponent\u2019s throat, don\u2019t remove it until the job is finished.<\/p>\n
Zverev played aggressive and near-flawless tennis to lead 7-5, 3-1, but with the finish line in sight he reverted to a more conservative mindset\u2026 and paid the price.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Fonseca stepped up his aggression, having largely played controlled tennis to that point rather than unleashing his massive forehand. The 19-year-old played with flair and determination to take the second set in a tie-break but a lapse in intensity in the sixth game of the third set cost him the decider.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first week of clay for all of us, so it won\u2019t be the prettiest tennis,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cThe best set of tennis was the third set for me, so that shows improvement. I\u2019m still mistiming some balls but I\u2019d rather do that and be in the semis than play perfectly and go out in the first round.\u201d<\/p>\n