Then Zverev plays on Sunday

After his exhausting night shift, German tennis star Alexander Zverev will be able to play in the round of 16 of the US Open this afternoon.

The duel between the Hamburg native and the American Brandon Nakashima is scheduled for around 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. CEST) on Sunday in the Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second largest arena on the Flushing Meadows site. The Tokyo Olympic champion is the clear favorite in the encounter with the 50th in the world rankings.

On Friday evening, Zverev’s third-round match against Argentinean Tomas Martin Etcheverry only started at 10:58 p.m. local time and ended at 2:35 a.m. The latest match in US Open history to finish was only 15 minutes away: In 2022, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals at 2:50 a.m.

After the early elimination of Olympic champion Novak Djokovic, Zverev is the top seeded player in his half of the tournament and the path to the final seems clear for the world number four.

“It’s a big name,” said Zverev about Djokovic’s elimination, without falling into too much euphoria: “I have to concentrate on myself. Anyone can play outstanding tennis at a Grand Slam.”

Since Wimbledon champion Alcaraz also failed early, the strong world number one Sünder (Italy) and arch-rival Daniil Medvedev from Russia remained as the main rivals in the fight for the US Open crown – but Zverev can only meet both of them in the final. I am 35. The time seems ripe for the really big coup.