Alexander Zverev sends cheeky greeting to heckling spectator

Alexander Zverev was challenged by both his opponent Alexei Popyrin and a disruptive spectator as he advanced to the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Friday.

The German world number three won 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-3 in a match where a fan was ejected from the stands in the third set.

The incident occurred when Zverev was leading 5-3 in the decisive set and was about to serve for the win.

A commotion in the stands caused him to interrupt his serve ritual and complain to the umpire.

He then made a double fault and hit the net at a critical moment, but kept his nerves steady and closed out the match shortly afterwards.

👋 BYE BYE

Alexander Zverev's celebration after his victory over Popyrin, after a spectator shouted twice on his serve 🥶pic.twitter.com/OSWNmNz7O0

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) August 5, 2025

Fan ejected from stadium

After his victory, Zverev waved to the spectator in question, who was escorted out of the arena.

The incident disrupted the German, who had already lost the first set in a tiebreak, but he managed to regain control of the match.

Alexander Zverev waving goodbye to a heckler in Toronto 👀 pic.twitter.com/psZw4WMZwp

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 5, 2025

‘I had to tell myself that even though I lost the first set, we were both playing at a high level,’ Zverev said after the match.

‘I made one or two mistakes at the end, and I was very unlucky with the net edge on the set point. But overall, it was a good match, and I had my chances.’

75th semi-final of his career

With the victory, Zverev sent defending champion Popyrin out of the tournament and secured a place in his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, surpassed only by Novak Djokovic among active players.

He will now face Karen Khachanov in the battle for a place in the final.

The 27-year-old German was clearly frustrated after losing the first set, but quickly took control of the next two sets with early 3-0 leads.

Despite the brief interruption from the spectator at the end of the match, Zverev maintained his focus, which he hopes to carry forward to the US Open later this month.