Alexander Zverev’s Australian Open quarterfinal against Tommy Paul took an unexpected turn when a feather disrupted the German’s focus during a crucial moment in the second set. Zverev, who eventually won the match 7–6 (1), 7–6 (0), 2–6, 6–1, was already battling frustrations when the incident occurred, leading to an unusual exchange with the chair umpire.
Zverev was trailing by a break in the second set when Paul saved two break points. The match was finely poised when, during one of these points, a white feather drifted into Zverev’s eyeline as he was preparing his shot. The chair umpire, Nacho Forcadell, immediately called a let and ordered a replay, prompting a visibly frustrated Zverev to approach the official holding the feather.
“Are you insane? What? A feather? There’s millions of them on the court,” Zverev said incredulously, holding up the feather to highlight the absurdity of the situation.
This moment came on the heels of another irritation for Zverev earlier in the game, when a spectator yelled “out” during a point. Zverev had already voiced his dissatisfaction to Forcadell, who responded by requesting that the crowd remain quiet during points. After losing the next point, Zverev was warned for showing too much frustration. His agitation only intensified with the feather incident.
Though the interruption rattled Zverev briefly, he regained his composure. After grasping the net for a moment to steady himself, Zverev broke back immediately, leveling the set before winning the ensuing tiebreak 7–0.
Zverev’s ability to bounce back from these distractions was key to his eventual victory. The match turned in his favor, with Paul unable to maintain his earlier momentum. Despite breaking Zverev in the third set, Paul’s resistance faded as Zverev dominated the fourth, ultimately winning in four sets.
After the match, Zverev reflected on his performance, admitting, “To be honest, I should have been down two sets to love. I was not playing great, and I thought he was. But I somehow won the first set, somehow won the second. And the fourth set was definitely the best that I played.”
With this victory, Zverev moved into the semifinals for the second consecutive year, where he will face either Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz.
