Alexander Zverev reached the second round of the US Open late in New York. With a score of 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3, 2: 1, the 24-year-old Olympic champion benefited from the decision of his opponent, the American Jack Sock, to give up.
With his 14th win in a row, Zverev made the best German result in a Grand Slam for 24 years. In the fight for the leap into the quarter-finals, the fourth in the world rankings will face Jannik Sinner from Italy.
Zverev’s entry into the round of 16 was hard won. In the first round he had to admit defeat to the initially outstanding sock, which was cheered on frenetically by the audience. The American entered the tournament with only one wild card, but hit almost everything, hitting seven aces and 18 direct strokes to win the point. “If Jack had continued to play like this, I would have been done in an hour and a half,” joked Zverev in a good mood at the first interview at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Then I would have planned my vacation and had a good time in the south of France next week.”
The American needed medical treatment
However, at the beginning of the second movement the picture changed. Sock first had to seek medical treatment, apparently he had problems with his thigh. Then Zverev increased the intensity and took control of the match. When the finalist of the previous year had fought his opponent down again in the fourth set, Sock grabbed his heavily bandaged thigh and gave up a little later after the break to make it 2-1 for Zverev. Sock hobbled off the field and took his heart out with an apologetic gesture.
“It’s difficult to play against someone who is no longer at one hundred percent. You have to keep your focus,” said Zverev. “I’m very sorry for him. I hope it’s not bad and he’ll be back quickly.”
In the round of 16, Zverev has a challenging but manageable task. The South Tyrolean Sinner, who was in 13th position, defeated Gael Monfils from France 7: 6 (7: 1), 6: 2, 4: 6, 4: 6, 6: 4. It would be an “extremely entertaining match,” promised Zverev.
The two qualifiers Oscar Otte (Cologne) and Peter Gojowczyk (Munich) are in the round of the best 16 at the Grand Slam tournament in New York. For the first time since Wimbledon 1997 and Boris Becker, Michael Stich and Nicolas Kiefer, three German tennis men made it into the round of 16 in one of the four most important tournaments. At the US Open, Bernd Karbacher and Jörn Renzenbrink last got three German men so far in 1994.