COLOGNE: Alexander Zverev defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-1 on Thur­sday in his first match since his Roland Garros exit that was overshadowed by an admission he was suffering from fever-like symptoms.

US Open runner-up Zverev had raised doubts as to whether he should have played his last-16 match at a coronavirus-affected tournament when he complained of feeling “completely sick”.

Zverev later returned a negative test for Covid-19. He said he had been suffering from a cold after telling reporters he had a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit).

The German top seed needed just over an hour in Cologne to see off Verdasco, who was disqualified from the French Open after failing a coronavirus test.

Zverev, 23, will meet South Africa’s Lloyd Harris for a semi-final spot as he attempts to win a first tour title since last year’s Geneva Open.

Roberto Bautista Agut booked his place in the quarter-finals after defeating the experienced Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). His reward is a match against Hubert Hurkacz.

Third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime earned a 6-4, 6-1 win against qualifier Henri Laaksonen. The Canadian next faces Radu Albot of Moldova for a place in the semi-finals. Eighth-seeded Marin Cilic was upset 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 by Spanish player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who set up a quarter-final against Austria’s Dennis Novak.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2020