Muller's AC!

What a match from Alexandre Müller to bring down Popyrin, what resilience! Broken in the fourth set, down 5–2 in the tie-break, broken again in the fifth… and yet he somehow found the resources to completely turn the match around, win 7–6, and literally ice the whole stadium.

The level of play was solid without being exceptional, against a very shaky Popyrin, but honestly, the storyline and his tenacity were great to watch. Problem is: now he’ll have to back it up against…Zverev.

For his part, the German had a sluggish start against Diallo before gradually kicking into gear, playing some very good tennis against a dangerous opponent. And above all, Zverev will come in physically fresh.

On paper, Müller can still hold on to a bit of hope thanks to his win in Hamburg 2025, where he beat Zverev on home soil by playing a huge match (even if the German later said he’d been sick). Despite yesterday’s heroic victory, I still find it hard to believe in a favorable scenario for the Frenchman here. In pure tennis terms, he’s definitely felt better, fatigue will take its toll, and against a player as solid as Zverev, that can quickly become a deal-breaker. Above all, I don’t see enough quality and weapons in his game to represent a real long-term threat.