Alexander Zverev too strong for De Minaur as Arthur Gea suffers injury heartbreak

The German will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in the final after the Spaniard progressed when Frenchman Arthur Gea retired with an injury just 22 minutes into their quarter-final.

Zverev had to work hard to contain De Minaur's pace in the opening set, but finally found the break he needed in the fifth game.

The world number one then showed his resilience when he recovered from a double-fault to save three consecutive break points and hold serve. He went on to seal the set in the 10th game, finishing with a deft backhand volley at the net.

Zverev maintained the pressure in the second set and earned another break in the seventh game when De Minaur sent a serve into the net, giving the German a 4-3 advantage.

De Minaur managed to stay in contention for a little longer, but Zverev made no mistake when presented with his first match point to complete the straight-sets victory.

"Good match for me," Zverev said. "Very satisfied with my level - it was a huge step up from the last couple matches."

France's Gea, meanwhile, suffered a disappointing exit from what was one of the biggest matches of his caree to date. 

He was forced to take a medical time-out while down 1-4 in the first set to receive attention on what he later revealed was a back issue.

He returned to action but was forced to retire shortly after.

"I felt this morning, during a warm-up," he said. "I tried from the beginning, but it was not enough to play full and too dangerous for the end of the season.

"I'm really sad, but it's the best choice I could do."

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