A winless stretch in a soul-searching lead-up is proving a blessing in disguise for Alexander Zverev.
In a battle between two wiry 22-year-olds of Russian heritage, the No.7 seed snapped Andrey Rublev’s 15-match winning streak on Monday night to reach his first quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.
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The German’s 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory at Melbourne Arena against his childhood friend equalled his best run at a major.
It’s a run that seemed inconceivable to most even a fortnight ago.
Zverev looked despondent during losses in all three matches he contested for Germany in the ATP Cup in Brisbane – where Alex de Minaur, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov had his number.
He arrived in Melbourne clearly sapped of confidence, and his battles with the yips on serve drove him to practice up to seven hours a day in the period since.
It is beginning to pay dividends.
Playing with the freedom of having little to lose, he has yet to drop a set in his opening four rounds, slowly but surely playing his way into form.
“This is Andrey’s first loss of the season. He’s won two tournaments already, he’s playing unbelievable tennis,” Zverev said.
“I’m just happy to be playing how I’ve been playing, because after ATP Cup I wasn’t sure I was going to win any matches here to be honest. But it’s all going well and I hope it can continue.”
The contrast in the pair’s lead-up preparations could not have been more stark.
The German had never fallen to the No.17 seed in three prior meetings but Rublev came into the match unbeaten since October, following four wins in Davis Cup to close out last season before back-to-back titles in Doha and Adelaide preceding his fourth-round run at Melbourne Park.
Rublev was bidding to become the first Russian man to reach an Australian Open quarterfinal since Nikolay Davydenko in 2008.
But he struggled from the outset on Monday night, broken in the opening game and failing to make inroads on Zverev’s recently fragile serve.
Any hopes of the Russian mounting a charge in the third set unraveled when he thumped a forehand long to surrender serve at 4-all.
Zverev’s Achilles heel throughout his horror ATP Cup stretch had become his weapon, as back-to-back aces helped him bring up match points.
He secured the best win of his summer on a winning volley and embraced his good friend at net.
“I’ve known him since I’m 10 years old,” Zverev said. “So I just reminded him how far we’ve got together. A lot of juniors, a lot of young kids would dream about playing fourth round of a Grand Slam against one of his best friends.
“Just reflect on that a little bit. I just told him we’re going to play many more big matches and he’s a great player, he’s continuing to rise.
“I think he’s going to be top 10, top 15 soon.”
Only six months older than his opponent, Zverev had been far more highly touted as the heir apparent, poised to shake up the top order.
And while he does boast tour-level wins over the Big Three as well as an ATP Finals title and three Masters 1000 trophies to his name, Zverev has never made serious inroads at the majors.
Fifteenth seed Stan Wawrinka – the 2015 champion – now stands between the 22-year-old and a maiden slam semifinal berth. Zverev owns a 2-0 record in their head-to-head but was not underestimating the Swiss, following Monday’s upset of No.4 seed Daniil Medvedev.
MORE: Wawrinka rallies to run down Medvedev
“I’m playing a former champion now. It’s going to be very difficult,” Zverev said. “He’s been playing unbelievable tennis, especially today – he played one of his best matches.”
Those hours thumping countless serves in practice had helped rectify his wayward game. But key to turning around his hapless start to the season came away from the court.
“Maybe the environment, a little bit,” Zverev admitted.
“I think everybody is happy – my dad is happy, my team is happy … and that makes life a lot easier. You play well when you feel well outside the court.”