[ad_1]
Alexander Zverev has advanced to the quarter-finals of the US Open after holding off a resurgent Jannik Sinner on a brutally humid Sunday night in New York.
Zverev kept his cool in the deciding set on Arthur Ashe Stadium to seal a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory and book a quarter-final clash with top seed Carlos Alcaraz. The German was pushed all the way by Sinner, who had struggled physically in the second and third sets but came roaring back into contention with a valiant fourth-set showing.
Sinner began suffering with cramps in both legs during the second set and by midway through the third set his condition worsened to the point that Zverev approached him to check on his wellbeing. The Italian’s condition improved sufficiently in the fourth and fifth sets to ensure a pulsating climax for the Sunday night crowd, but Zverev outhit his opponent by 14 winners to seven in the final set to seal a hard-earned four-hour, 41-minute fourth-round triumph.
“I guess I can say I’m back, right? This is what I live for, this is what I absolutely love to do,” said Zverev, who missed the second half of 2022 US Open with a serious ankle injury, in his on-court interview. “I wish I could have played a little bit shorter, that’s for sure, but last year when I wasn’t able to play, these were exactly the moments I missed. Until 1:30 a.m. in front of a packed crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium. There’s nothing better.”
Late-night viewing in New York is out of this world 🙌@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/UmKhY79PWt
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 5, 2023
Both players felt the effects of humid conditions. Sinner frequently towelled off after points and Zverev changed his shoes and socks early in the second set. In a dramatic fourth game of the second set, Sinner appeared to show discomfort with cramps in both his right and left legs but showed great resolve to save five break points to hold serve.
In the third set, after dropping serve to fall behind 2-4, Sinner appeared to cramp severely in both his left hamstring and quad and was limping so noticeably that Zverev checked on his condition.
The Italian received the second of two permitted treatments for cramps from ATP physio Clay Sniteman at the end of the third set and looked somewhat rejuvenated in the first game of the fourth, when he earned four break points before Zverev ultimately escaped the 20-point game with a 129 mph ace within moments of midnight and the three-hour mark of the match.
A resolute Sinner went on to claim the only break of serve of the fourth set in the ninth game as Zverev double faulted on break point, but the Italian was unable to maintain his momentum into the decider. Zverev expertly kept his composure, breaking in the second game and saving the only break point he faced in the set to improve to 42-20 for the 2023 season.
“I actually don’t know how I managed it because I was completely done in the fourth set,” said Zverev. “I was extremely tired. I think he was fitter than me, even though he was cramping, I still think he was in better shape. In the fifth set I somehow found it again. Without the energy, without the crowd, this would have not been possible.
“To be honest this is one of the best moments of my career, I think. After my comeback, after everything, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Zverev, the 2020 US Open finalist, claimed just his second victory over a Top 10 player in 15 meetings at the majors. He improved his Lexus ATP Head2Head record with Sinner to 4-1 and repeated his win over the Italian in the same round at Flushing Meadows in 2021, when he went on to reach the semi-finals.
“I’m here to play. That’s what I love doing,” said Zverev when asked about the upcoming Alcaraz clash. “I don’t know how it will end up but I’ll give it my absolute best, like I always do, I will fight until the last moment. Of course I have to recover after this physical match, but I’ll be ready.”
It was the second heartbreaking late-night defeat in New York for Sinner in the space of a year. In 2022, the Italian completed a five-hour, 15-minute marathon quarter-final with Alcaraz that finished at 2:38 a.m. Sinner had held a match point but the Spaniard claimed the victory and went on to win his maiden major title.
[ad_2]
