Alexander Zverev Returns To The Australian Open Quarterfinals And Faces Tommy Paul Next

No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the fourth time by beating No. 14 Ugo Humbert 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 with the help of 19 aces and a 43-23 advantage in total winners on Sunday night.

Next up for two-time major runner-up Zverev will be a matchup Tuesday against 12th-seeded American Tommy Paul , who ended Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's run of comebacks and reached his third Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory earlier.

Zverev did not have much of a chance to get ready before heading to Australia: He sat out the United Cup team competition because of an arm injury.

"A week ago, I was very unsure of my level. I was very unsure of my tennis," the 27-year-old German said. "Couldn't really play a lot of sets in practice. Couldn't really prepare the way I wanted to."

Paul needed less than 1 1/2 hours on Sunday to finish off a diminished opponent. The 66th-ranked Davidovich Fokina had won his last two matches despite dropping the first two sets in both.