US Open 2023: Alexander Zverev dominates Jannik Sinner in 5 sets (6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3) and rallies the quarters

“I’m back”… Modern-day Terminator style, Alexander Zverev greeted with this cult replica his epic victory against Jannik Sinner, whom he dominated in a fight of titans at the end of the New York night, 6-4, 3-6, 6- 2, 4-6, 6-3 in 4:41, this Tuesday morning. Here is the German qualified for the quarter-finals of the US Open, stage at which he will find the world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, which is not exactly the best way to recover from such a boxing match. But one thing at a time.

Let’s leave it to Zverev first to savor what remains his longest US Open victory, and probably his finest, too. First of all, of course, a thought for his loser, Jannik Sinner, who had already lost last year at Flushing Meadows a fight that will remain in all memories against Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarter-finals. He was once again the unfortunate hero of what is probably if not the most beautiful, in any case the most intense match since the start of this fortnight.

A match during which the two men were a little connected to alternating current, the fault of extremely trying weather conditions – “the worst I have known here”-, had underlined Daniil Medvedev, winner a little earlier of Alex de Minaur. But a magnificent fight despite everything, not only by its intensity but also by the tactical battle in which they fought.

Knowing perfectly well that they risked neutralizing each other from the baseline with their fairly similar puncher profile, the German and the Italian offered a lot of variety with a lot of net climbs (54 for Zverev, 39 for Sinner) and also a wagon of amortizations, sometimes even both in a single exchange. In the end, they hit 106 winners (56 for Zverev, 50 for Sinner). So under these conditions, we could easily forgive them the 113 unforced errors counted elsewhere (46 for Zverev, 67 for Sinner).

As we have said, we must also give thanks to the Italian for having been able to make this match epic. Because honestly, after the loss of the 1st set, we thought he was going for a faster defeat. Catastrophic in service (4 double faults and only 47% of first serves), he seemed physically exhausted from the loss of this 1st set, which had already been a long fight of more than an hour. Impression confirmed when we saw him being massaged in the left thigh in the middle of the 2nd set.

In fact, the Italian was suffering from the onset of cramps, certainly due to the more stifling than ever dampness of this New York night. The Italian had certainly reacted well in spite of everything by returning to a set everywhere, but when we saw him start to grimace and even hobble during the 3rd set, then call on the physio after the loss of this one, there had every reason to think that the carrots were cooked for him.

And then finally, no. Under his somewhat angelic exterior, Sinner is also a formidable fighter and proved it by throwing himself headlong into the fight in the 4th set. This one remained very undecided until 4-4, moment chosen by the Transalpine to know his best passage of the match and push his opponent to the 5th set.

This time, it was rather Zverev who seemed marked, in turn. But the German, disturbed during the match by a spectator who, according to him, uttered Nazi remarks, also knew how to find his second wind to break at the start of this 5th set. A break that he will keep until the end, at the cost of some sensational points, including a rally that will put his opponent down on the ball 3-0.

Very strong physically but also mentally, Zverev finally went to get his match by chaining a sumptuous backhand volley, then a big first on the match point. A match that he was able to win in large part, precisely, thanks to his more powerful service. But also, thanks to this faith in himself that he seems to have, more than a year after his terrible ankle injury at Roland-Garros, definitely found.

Anyway, the former tournament finalist (2020) thus qualified for his 10th Grand Slam quarter-final (the 3rd at the US Open), which makes him the second German player the more prolific in this area, tied with Michael Stich, far behind Boris Becker (23). But two days before this other fight that awaits him against Carlos Alcaraz, all of this is probably the least of his worries.