From the KO in the preliminary phase of the US Open to making history in the big picture
The German Alexander Zverev He is still the early morning tennis player. It never ends before the day is spent. It is a fixture in the night session. After two marathons in five sets, close to ten hours on the court, the first seed improved in everything, also in the resolution of his pass to the round of 16. He beat the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in three sets, coming back from set point in the second.
“The draw is not going to get easier. There are 16 players left, I expect difficult games, but I think my form is also improving,” he warned.
That the current Roland Garros champion and Wimbledon finalist does not reach his second US Open final, after the loss to Dominic Thiem In 2020, it will be a surprise of enormous magnitude. Rarely will you have had such a clear field. His seven companions at the top of the table, starting with his rival, the Italian Luciano Darderiwere not on the list of forecasts.
None of them ever reached a Grand Slam final. The one who presents the best results is the Russian veteran Karen Khachanov, semi-finalist of the US Open 2022 and Wimbledon 2023. At 30 years old, he is world number 50.
The Dutchman is also in his thirties Botic Van by ZandschulpNo. 70 and Open quarterfinalist in a distant 2021, from the ‘qualy’.
The youngest is the American Learner Tien20 years old and who has the best ranking after No. 2 Zverev. He is number 15. A promise that already made the quarterfinals in the last Australian Open.
Less known at a popular level, he is the luckiest of all. The French Arthur Gea, 21 years old and number 87, he was out of the tournament since he was eliminated in the last round of the qualifying phase. He entered due to a loss, today he can become the first ‘lucky loser’ to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. Luck smiles on him, he arrived in New York with his first title, in Los Cabos.
It benefited him that the Norwegian Casper Ruud decided not to participate because back discomfort did not allow him to compete. It also suited him that Rafa Jodar sank at its premiere. “When I saw that Jódar, I told myself this suits you, it gave me strength,” explains Gea, debutant at the US Open, his third ‘big’ tournament.
Another interesting 21-year-old tennis player, the Belgian Alexander Blockxappeared with the same record as Gea in Grand Slam: one victory and two defeats. He suffered an ankle injury that forced him to retire at Roland Garros, after getting tangled in a tarp covering the training court. Luciano Darderi, 24 years old and number 22, and the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo28 and no. 25, placed eighth in Australia.
The expected ones did not arrive Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli, Rafa Jódar, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Miñaur, Lorenzo Musetti and Jakub Mensik.
