In the Round of 16 at the US Open, Alexander Zverev faced difficulties only in the first set. After that, he overcame a scary moment and a swarm of insects. Now, a chance for revenge presents itself. In the quarterfinals, he will meet an old acquaintance.
Alexander Zverev strolled through the New York darkness in Olympic flip-flops, eagerly anticipating the opportunity for a major revenge at the US Open. Amid the cheers of the fans, he had previously spoken about his big dream of winning his first Grand Slam title during the obligatory winner’s interview on the court after his solid victory in the quarterfinals. For the fourth consecutive time, the German number one in the world of tennis has now reached the last eight at the US Open. He defeated American Brandon Nakashima with scores of 3:6, 6:1, 6:2, 6:2.
Everything seems to be going well for his first major title win on the ATP Tour, as Zverev later reassured about a potential injury to his right foot after the match. In the fourth set, he twisted his foot at a score of 3:1 and hobbled momentarily. “I made a strange step, twisted my ankle a bit. But everything is fine, nothing to worry about,” said the 27-year-old after the match.
He also managed to survive a sudden fly invasion shortly before the end of the fourth set. When the insects flew in swarms through the Louis Armstrong Stadium, Zverev had to pause his serve. He waved them away and even pulled one out from under his sleeveless shirt. “They were such huge things; I’ve never seen that here before,” he reported. “They were not mosquitoes, not bees – I don’t know what that was: flying ants or something?” But Zverev didn’t let it throw him off.
28 degrees, high humidity
By advancing to the quarterfinals, Zverev has also qualified for the ATP Finals of the best eight tennis professionals of the season in mid-November in Turin. This was announced by the professional organization ATP after the match. Previously, only world number one Jannik Sinner from Italy had achieved this.
In initially 28-degree heat and high humidity, Zverev had problems against the underdog in the Round of 16 only in the first set. After 2:36 hours, he converted his first match point and celebrated his 450th victory on the ATP Tour. “I was very defensive at the start of the match. I’m very glad to be advancing,” said Zverev – and hopes for three more victories in New York. “I’m doing everything I can. I’m giving it my all; hopefully, at some point in my career, it will happen.”
In the quarterfinals of the US Open, Zverev faces Fritz again
In this major personal mission to win a title, Zverev benefits from the fact that major competitors Serbian Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz have already been eliminated. After the US Open, he will return at least to the top three of the world rankings.
“He didn’t let himself get rattled after losing the first set. What he celebrated in the third and fourth sets, I haven’t seen from him in a long time,” said legend Boris Becker as an expert on Sportdeutschland.TV about Zverev’s performance against Nakashima. It was “tennis at the highest level,” Becker praised.
The 27-year-old from Hamburg will now face US pro Taylor Fritz, whom he lost to in the Wimbledon Round of 16 this season. The American defeated eighth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud with scores of 3:6, 6:4, 6:3, 6:2, reaching the quarterfinals of New York for the second time.
Out of nine matches against Fritz, Zverev has won five – however, the most recent one was taken by the American. At Wimbledon, Fritz turned a two-set deficit into a victory. At that time, Zverev was struggling with a knee injury from the previous match. “Now I’m healthy, that’s the big difference,” he said, “I’m looking forward to another tough battle.” Fritz himself took a relaxed approach. “It always goes back and forth between us,” said the 26-year-old about his sporting rivalry with Zverev: “We play close matches. It could go either way. It depends a lot on the serve.”
Strong serve by Zverev against Nakashima
In the Round of 16, Zverev’s serving was effective; the 1.98-meter giant started with solid service games. It wasn’t until the score was 3:4 that he suddenly faltered – and immediately lost his first break after several backhand shots into the net and a double fault. Zverev scolded towards his supporters in the stands.
The crowd was roused from the summertime lethargy of the early phase, repeatedly cheering the US pro with loud “Let’s go, Brandon” chants. After 45 minutes, Nakashima celebrated winning the first set and further energized the fans.
At the start of the second set, Zverev pleased the audience by playing through his legs once but otherwise kept his game at an acceptable level with numerous errors. The German number one took advantage of a missed backhand from his opponent to save a ninth break point for 2:0.
Nakashima noticeably declined; Zverev, just as he did in the third round against Argentine Tomás Martin Etcheverry after losing the first set, became increasingly confident. He pulled away comfortably, consistently countering his opponent’s attacks with precise passing shots.
After winning the second set, he took a new pair of shoes from his father and coach Alexander Zverev Sr. while sweating profusely. After changing, he played even better. Nakashima found no remedy against Zverev’s powerful baseline play.
At the start of the fourth set, the 23-year-old American rallied briefly, but by the time of the break to 1:2, all resistance was broken. With great confidence, Zverev continued his game and could celebrate.
dpa/pk