Zverev, very serious threat for Alcaraz at the US Open

He US Open 2026 completed its round of 16 this Monday, and did so with a Alexander Zverev’s show of strength. The German tennis player, first seed, defeated Italian Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) in a match that he controlled with an iron fist from the beginning.

And, in both the first set and the second, the Roland Garros champion He achieved two consecutive breaks that allowed him to go 4-0 upan income that he managed masterfully to close both sets 6-2.

However, not everything was going to be rosy for the German, who He already suffered a lot in his first two games in the tournamentagainst the Italian Lorenzo Sonego (n.89) and the Frenchman Quentin Halys (n.52), in two eternal matches that had to be resolved in five sets.

Darderi gained confidence and managed to secure his serve until forcing a tiebreak in which Zverev once again showed that he is a true specialist.

“Darderi started playing incredibly in the third set. I haven’t seen anyone hit the ball so hard in a long time. and with such regularity throughout an entire set. So you have to give him credit. He made it very difficult for me,” Zverev explained at the foot of the court.

“I’m happy, without a doubt. I think that, compared to the first two games, the level has been rising and, of course, that is the goal“Zverev said.

“I don’t know what to do now that it’s not midnight yet, so maybe I’ll go back to training or maybe I’ll go have a drink at a bar.“the German joked, after those first two games against Sonego and Halys ended after two in the morning.

Great victory for Zverev, who They will face the Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday in the quarterfinalswho overcame an epic battle against the revelation of the tournament, the Frenchman Arthur Gea (no. 87), whom he ended up defeating 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(7), 7-6(3) and 6-4 after more than five hours of intense fighting.

The French tennis player had the option of having gone down in the history of modern tennis by becoming the first ‘lucky loser’ to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam since the beginning of the Open era, inaugurated in 1968.

Thus, Zverev will find himself with a fairly clear path to the final, since His rival in the semifinals would leave the match between the Russian Karen Khachanovwho beat the American Learner Tien in five sets, and the Belgian Alexander Blockxwho beat the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo in four sets.

A warning for Alcaraz, who starts as the top favorite at the bottom of the tablealthough first he will have to overcome the tough obstacles of Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals and Frances Tiafoe or Alex Michelsen in the semifinals.