The National Bank Open witnessed thrilling quarter-final matches in the men's category today. Top-seeded German player and 2017 champion Alexander Zverev delivered a powerful performance to secure his place in the semi-finals.
Sports News: Friday at the National Bank Open 2025 tennis tournament was filled with excitement. The top matches in both the men's and women's categories saw several intriguing twists and turns. German tennis star and top-seeded player of the tournament, Alexander Zverev, put on a stellar performance to defeat Australia's Alexei Popyrin in the quarter-finals and secure his spot in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, in the women's category, Canadian young tennis sensation Victoria Mboko made history by entering her first WTA 1000 semi-final.
Zverev's Strong Comeback, Knocks on the Door to the Semi-finals
2017 National Bank Open champion and current world number 3, Alexander Zverev, made a b comeback in the quarter-finals after losing the first set. He defeated Australia's 18th-seeded player Alexei Popyrin 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3. The match was extremely challenging both physically and mentally, but Zverev secured the victory with his experience and fitness.
After losing in the tie-breaker in the first set, Zverev delivered his best performance in the next two sets. He gave Popyrin no chance to come back with his fast serves, accurate backhands, and strategic net play. This will be Zverev's 75th ATP semi-final of his career. Now, in the semi-finals, Zverev will face either Russia's Karen Khachanov or America's young player Alex Michelsen. Their quarter-final match will be played later this evening.
Victoria Mboko Makes History, Brings Pride to Canada
Canada's 18-year-old Victoria Mboko put on a fantastic performance in the women's singles category, defeating Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets and entering the first WTA 1000 semi-final of her career. Mboko had previously shocked everyone in this tournament by defeating top-seeded Coco Gauff.
She has proven that she is a future tennis star with her calm demeanor, b groundstrokes, and court coverage. Although she had to struggle a bit in the beginning, she soon found her rhythm and took control of the match. Mboko is the first Canadian player to reach the WTA 1000 semi-finals after Bianca Andreescu in 2019. She has also become the youngest player to reach the semi-finals in Toronto since Belinda Bencic in 2015.
Rybakina Receives Walkover, Kostyuk Injured
Victoria Mboko will face Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals, who reached the final four after defeating Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in the quarter-finals. However, this match could not be played completely. Kostyuk injured her hand during the match, which forced her to withdraw from the match midway. At that time, Rybakina was leading 6-1, 2-1.
After consulting with the coach and physio, Kostyuk decided to retire. This gave Rybakina a walkover and she entered the semi-finals.
