US Open: Alexander Zverev fails against Taylor Fritz – Sport

His expression was sober and empty as Alexander Zverev walked to the net. He shook Taylor Fritz’s hand as the 24,000 spectators in Arthur Ashe Stadium rose to their feet. The 27-year-old German had lost 6:7 (2), 6:3, 4:6, 6:7 (3) and was eliminated from the US Open in New York in the quarterfinals. The big picture for the fourth-ranked player in the world rankings is that 2024 will not bring him the longed-for first Grand Slam title. After the premature failure of Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam winner, in Zverev’s half of the draw, the German had even greater hopes of reaching the final. He could have met the Serb in the semifinals. Now Zverev slunk off the court dejected.

Before the party, Zverev was asked in the hallway by the professional Nick Kyrgios, who is taking a break, during a TV interview what his prospects were – he said that he had to “play his best tennis”. However, he was not able to do this immediately, and Zverev was particularly troubled by a tactical maneuver by his opponent. Fritz was quick to get to the baseline when returning and often reacted quickly to block Zverev’s serve balls. At 5:6, Zverev fended off three set points, but then clearly lost the tiebreak, being too passive and often too lacking in courage.

Zverev wins spectacular points – but that is not enough

In the second set, Zverev managed to win the most spectacular point with a breathtaking rally. He curled the ball from the very back right onto the far right cross line with his forehand. He raised his arms like the footballer Jude Bellingham after scoring a goal. Zverev improved, Fritz messed up and lost his serve to make it 3:5. But Zverev did not carry the momentum into the third set and was broken early to make it 0:2. He fought, got to 3:3, but at 5:4 Fritz converted it into his fifth set point.

The quality remained high, although Zverev still tended to stand too far back too often. He was fidgety, often standing on the court after the break between ends while the music was still playing. In the fourth set, the tiebreak had to decide again – Fritz again kept his nerve.