Alexander Zverev was in a bit of a shock moments after he beat Jannik Sinner in the US Open fourth round. At the start of his on-court interview, he was told by Brad Gilbert that he had just played his longest-ever match in the tournament. “Really?” asked the German with a look of disbelief.
In that moment, Zverev was perhaps remembering the US Open 2020 final he lost to Dominic Thiem. He was a game away from winning his first Grand Slam title then but the Austrian managed to complete a remarkable victory from two sets down in just over four hours.
On Tuesday, though, Zverev emerged on the right side of another marathon contest at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. In four hours and 41 minutes, at 1.39 am in New York, he closed out a back-breaking 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over sixth-seed Sinner.
It wasn’t the result most people had expected. After all, when the draw was announced before the start of the tournament, Sinner potentially meeting Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, the stage where they contested a five-set epic last year at Flushing Meadows, had set tongues wagging. But Zverev, a former world No.2, was a man on a mission.
The conditions on the court were brutal for the most part. With the roof open, it was a sultry night and both players felt the effects of it. Sinner started experiencing cramps in both his legs in the second set and went on to receive treatment on two occasions. Zverev, with his clothes soaked in sweat, looked like he had just returned from a swim. Both players moved gingerly between points, but they simply kept going.
There was heavy ball-striking throughout but it was Zverev who perhaps played the smarter game. The 26-year-old 12th seed looked just as exhausted as his opponent but kept approaching the net. And despite his tall frame, he stayed low and sharp to put Sinner under pressure consistently.
“I think he was cramping in the third set,” said Zverev. “In the fourth set, he was physically much better than me. I was struggling a lot. And then somehow in the fifth set I picked it up again, I felt much better. And then from there on, I got the early break and just served it out from there.”
It’s been a challenging year and a half for Zverev. For those who watched his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal last year, it would be tough to forget the sight of him rolling on the clay in pain after twisting his ankle. That injury forced him to miss the rest of the season but since his return in January this year, there has been steady progress. He made the Roland Garros semis for the third consecutive time before winning 21 of his next 26 matches, claiming the Hamburg title on his home soli along the way.
“I guess I can say I’m back,” said Zverev after beating Sinner. “This is exactly what I live for. This is what I love to do, playing at 1.30 am in front of a packed crowd – it doesn’t get any better. This is one of the best moments of my career.”
Now, having reached the US Open quarter-finals for the third time in as many appearances, Zverev is set to face arguably the toughest challenge there is in men’s tennis at the moment. He holds a 3-2 lead over Alcaraz in their head-to-head, having won both their matches so far on hard courts, but the Spaniard lost just three games the last time they met (in the Madrid Open round of 16 this year).
Further, Zverev, who is six years older to Alcaraz, has spent five hours and 39 minutes more on court in this tournament. His round of 16 match, too, ended about 10 hours after Alcaraz’s.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable challenge, though, Zverev is confident of his abilities. Asked about his upcoming clash with the top seed, he smiled for several seconds before saying: “I’m here to play. That’s what I love doing. I don’t know how it’ll end up but I’ll give it my absolute best like I always do. I’ll fight till the last moment. I’ll be ready.”
Leave feedback about this