By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday September 5, 2023
Alexander Zverev braved oppressive conditions to defeat Jannik Sinner in the longest match of this year's US Open.
Photo Source: Al Bello
Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner battled each other to the brink on Monday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and it was the German who proved to be superior in a four hour and 41-minute scorcher that was played in oppressive heat and humidity inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
So many had their minds focused on a potential Alcaraz v Sinner rematch to commemorate their five hour and 15-minute slugfest in the quarterfinals last year, which finished at 2:50 AM and had critics raving, that they had overlooked Zverev as a peerless plot twister.
The German has been in great form of late, having won a title in Hamburg this summer on clay, and his confidence showed as he closed out his 14th win in his last 16 matches in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Queens.
Zverev’s 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 thriller that finished at 1:39 a.m. sets a quarterfinal clash with Alcaraz, a player that the German has defeated in three of their previous five matchups – and both on hard courts.
Zverev hopes to continue slaying in New York, the site of his only previous Grand Slam final, which happened in the early months of the pandemic, behind closed doors in 2020.
"I think everybody, before the tournament, was looking for two matchups: Alcaraz-Novak in the final, and Alcaraz-Sinner in the quarterfinals. So maybe I can make sure that both of those don't happen," Zverev told the thinned-out cross in Ashe after the match. "It's obviously going to be one of the toughest matches for me [against Alcaraz in the quarters] and I need to recover, that's for sure."
Sinner played well enough to win, but his effort was marred by cramping, particularly in the third set. He fought valiantly to win the fourth as the German started to struggle, but the tides turned once again in the decider as Zverev locked up his third straight trip to the quarterfinals in New York.
Heat and humidity affected other players on Day 8 in New York, with Daniil Medvedev calling the conditions brutal after his four-set win over Alex de Minaur, who also suffered and ended up losing his legs.
More heat and humidity is in the forecast for the next few days as the Open heats up and quarterfinal action begins on Wednesday.