There definitely will be a Zverev in the quarterfinals of this week’s Citi Open in Washington, D.C. But which one?
Top seed and defending champion Alexander Zverev will face his brother Mischa Zverev in the third round of the ATP 500 event. It marks the first time both brothers will face each other in an ATP main draw singles match.
When asked about the special event, both brothers tried to avoid hyping it any more than necessary.
“It’s going to be an interesting, but very special for our family,” Alexander Zverev said after winning his rain postponed match against Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-1. “Not a lot of families can say two brothers played against each other on a such a high level, in one of the biggest tournaments in the world.”
Mischa Zverev, the 15th seed in D.C., also gave huge credit to his family. Zverev reached the third round with a 6-2, 7-6(6) win over Tim Smyczek.
“It's nice because we're finally at a point where, we're at a big tournament, we both play decent tennis,” Mischa Zverev said. “I think it's a win-win situation because it means both of my parents did a good job. They raised decent tennis players, and it's going to be a win-win no matter what.”
Alexander Zverev, age 21, is currently ranked No. 3 in the world. His brother, Mischa, is older at age 31 but doing very well too, currently ranked No. 43 in the world.
The younger Zverev remembered he and his brother pretending to play in the Wimbledon final as kids with both hoping one day to make playing at the prestigious event a reality.
The two did play each other as teenagers and twice in quailifying matches at the ATP level. Mischa won both of those in 2012 in Dallas, and 2014 in Houston.
Both Zverev brothers are playing doubles together also this week in D.C. While they want both to do well, they each want to see themselves go deeper into the event.
“Obviously, we both want to win,” Alexander Zverev added. “We won’t give each other anything.”