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Powerful to success: Alexander Zverev hits a cracking forehand
Photo:
Seth Wenig / AP
The successful streak of Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev continues: After a nerve-racking exchange of blows against South Tyrolean Jannik Sinner, especially in the third set, the 24-year-old from Hamburg made it to the quarter-finals of the US Open.
In the end it was 6: 4, 6: 4, 7: 6 (9: 7) for the German - after winning the gold medal in Tokyo and winning the title in Cincinnati, it was the 15th success in a row across all tournaments.
Two days after the turbulent match against Jack Sock, when Zverev lost the first round and benefited from the American's injury-related task at 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3, 2: 1, he fought against the 20-year-old Italians took five set balls in the third round and converted the first match point after 2:25 hours.
With around 27 degrees in New York and not as humid and hot conditions as last week, the world number four played in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was initially only sparsely filled, focused and full of confidence in his skills, but without shining spectacularly.
Last year, Zverev lost to Sinner at the French Open in the round of 16, but won again in the semifinals on the way to his title in Cologne.
This time he wobbled in the third set when he fell 5: 6 behind.
Zverev fended off two set balls on his own serve and saved himself in the tiebreak.
There Zverev was 1: 4 and 4: 6 behind, but kept his nerve and made his third Grand Slam quarter-final this year after the Australian Open and the French Open perfect.
Will Oscar Otte follow suit?
One year after his traumatic final defeat against Austrian Dominic Thiem, when Zverev gave up a 2-0 set lead and was only two points away from the title, Zverev is aiming for the double of Olympic gold and US Open title on - which only Scotsman Andy Murray had succeeded in 2012 before him. In the fight for a place in the semifinals, Zverev will now meet the Americans Reilly Opelka or Lloyd Harris from South Africa.
On late Monday evening, German time, Cologne qualifier Oscar Otte has the chance to follow Zverev in another German-Italian duel against Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Only in 1994, Michael Stich and Bernd Karbacher, were two German professionals in the quarter-finals in Flushing Meadows.
Munich's Peter Gojowczyk, like top player Angelique Kerber, failed in the round of 16 the day before.
mkl / dpa / sid