Zverev defeats Hanfmann to reach Halle quarter-finals and continue winning run

[p]Welcomed by a supportive crowd, top seed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zverev-alexander/dGbUhw9m/"]Zverev[/a] beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hanfmann-yannick/zLJYYbhm/"]Yannick Hanfmann[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/hanfmann-y-zLJYYbhm/zverev-a-dGbUhw9m/?mid=WEGyCKWI"]6-3, 7-6(4)[/a] in an all-German duel to keep his hopes alive of a first grass court title in his career.[/p][p]Zverev broke Hanfmann once to take the opening set. In the second, both players held firm on their own serve to force a tie break, which Zverev won comfortably.[/p][p]The top seed said he was still adjusting from clay, his preferred surface, to grass, saying he wanted to improve his return, which "is the most important shot on grass".[/p][embed guid="d7166221-724e-4bc3-8fbd-e3c5103058e7" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH1mGwdGTyQ" social-type="youtube" /][p]"[b]I've only been on a grass court for a couple of days but I'm through to the quarter-finals, so I'm happy with that[/b]," Zverev added.[/p][p]The 29-year-old beat Italy's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cobolli-flavio/zDtaCcPe/"]Flavio Cobolli[/a] in a seesawing five-set Roland Garros showpiece to break through for a first-ever Grand Slam title.[/p][p]The former Olympic gold medallist had come agonisingly close but had never broken through, losing three Grand Slam finals.[/p][p]On Wednesday, Cobolli got a modicum of revenge for the Roland Garros defeat by eliminating Zverev in the doubles on the Halle grass.[/p][p]Zverev, who made the final at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in 2016 and 2017, will face either [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/collignon-raphael/xzJGXJ6t/"]Raphael Collignon[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bellucci-mattia/M9pojLqi/"]Mattia Bellucci[/a] on Friday for a place in the semi-finals.[/p][embed guid="cfc92e3a-7bd3-41cb-b2d1-15e6d07c8a92" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fm0O5eXeWI" social-type="youtube" /][p]Earlier on Thursday, world number five [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shelton-ben/QNuG0Gzb/"]Ben Shelton[/a] beat fellow American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/quinn-ethan/fDEtnFgg/"]Ethan Quinn[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/quinn-e-fDEtnFgg/shelton-b-QNuG0Gzb/?mid=xvlpPns2"]6-4, 5-7, 6-4[/a] to set up a quarter-final meeting with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fritz-taylor/UH09iaZ6/"]Taylor Fritz[/a], who he beat in the final of Sunday's ATP event in Stuttgart.[/p][p]In the other quarter-finals, Canadian world number four [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/auger-aliassime-felix/CzXh4LAb/"]Felix Auger Aliassime[/a] will face American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tiafoe-frances/AHDLJaph/"]Frances Tiafoe[/a] while 2021 US Open champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/medvedev-daniil/O8qG0Nhb/"]Daniil Medvedev[/a] takes on German [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/altmaier-daniel/IPR8h9gM/"]Daniel Altmaier[/a].[/p]