Alexander wins battle of Zverev brothers

WASHINGTON: Alexander Zverev got the better of older brother Mischa at the Washington Open, winning their first meeting at an ATP Tour event 6-3, 7-5.

World number three and top seed Alexander, 21, broke Mischa, 30, three times en route to a victory that sets up a quarter-final with seventh seed Kei Nishikori, who dispatched Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.

Despite the loss, Mischa said it was a match he would always remember.

“After the coin toss I had tears in my eyes because it felt so special,” he added.

“I wondered what are my parents thinking right now. I needed a few seconds to bite my tongue and focus.”

The younger Zverev said he hoped to see his brother across the net again in the future.

“I hope this is not the last time. I hope we play a final one day,” said Alexander, the tournament’s defending champion.

■ LOS ANGELES: Venus Williams found her winning form late and charged to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win over Britain’s Heather Watson at the Silicon Valley Classic to punch her ticket to the quarter-finals. The typically reserved 38-year-old American broke Watson six times and showed rare flashes of emotion after critical points in the two-hour affair, pumping her fist and shouting.

“I’m calm. I can’t help how I am,” the third-seeded Williams said when asked if she would continue with the new on-court demeanour. “But I’m definitely fired up inside.”

■ LOS CABOS (Mexico): Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina breezed into the Los Cabos Open semi-finals, beating Egor Gerasimov of Belarus 6-1, 6-1.

Del Potro won for the second straight night in the hard-court event after a rest break following a five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. — Agencies