2024-08-29 00:54:27
In front of a soccer world champion, Alexander Zverev did not lose a single set in the second round of the US Open. But the German number one still had to fight hard.
Alexander Zverev has also completed his second task on the way to the long-awaited US Open title without any major problems. In high temperatures in New York, the Hamburg native defeated the Frenchman Alexandre Müller on Wednesday after a solid performance with 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 6:1 and reached the third round for the sixth time in his ninth appearance in the US metropolis. There, Zverev will face the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Friday.
In the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Tokyo Olympic champion needed some time to find his rhythm in his first encounter with the 77th in the world rankings. Zverev is not a fan of matches in the morning or at midday, but many simple mistakes by the Frenchman helped him win the first set in the second largest arena of the Flushing Meadows complex.
In front of former soccer world champion Sami Khedira in his own box, Zverev was unable to reach his full performance level in the second set, but held his nerve in the tiebreak. The Hamburg native was then unstoppable and used his second match point to win.
In his 35th attempt, Zverev is aiming for his long-awaited first Grand Slam title. In New York in 2020, he was only two points away from victory before suffering one of the most bitter defeats of his career against Dominic Thiem. In the dress rehearsal in Cincinnati, Zverev had recently shown his improving form by reaching the semifinals after weeks of health and sporting setbacks. The victory against Müller was already the 54th this year – no player on the tour has more to show for it.