WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Alexander Zverev is one win from defending his title at this year's Washington Open after beating Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to advance to the final.
"Winning the first time feels amazing. But coming back here there is a little bit of pressure on your shoulders to defend your title," Zverev said. "I've got another tough match ahead of me. But if I will be able to retain my title, it'd be an amazing feeling."
The 21-year-old is the first player on the ATP World Tour to reach 40 match wins in 2018. And on Sunday, he will take on Alex De Minaur of Australia, who defeated Andrey Rublev of Russia 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the other semifinal.
"It shows that mentally you're strong and you're improving," Zverev said of winning a tournament in back-to-back years. "It's not easy to come into a week where you have a big title to defend."
