Zverev’s colossal beating at the US Open
The German Alexander Zverev29 years old and world No. 2, is a colossus. He has exceptional qualities to survive in moments of anxiety and take advantage of the opportunities that have been generated in his personal and sporting maturity. With the help of external factors that made it easier to achieve long-established objectives.
He fulfilled his dream of being Grand Slam champion at the last Roland Garros, without Carlos Alcaraz neither Jannik Sinnerthe colonizers of recent times, on their way. In Paris he dominated the nerves of being the favorite, with that ability to suffer in agony like no one else.
Finalist at Wimbledon, already beaten by Sinner, he took the first seeding place in a US Open without the transalpine and with an Alcaraz limited by the five months of absence. He is there to take advantage of his opportunity, not without suffering.
His performance clearly goes from less to more. From the two opening rounds of five sets, to the limit of exhaustion, bordering on the KO, to the final of the US Open. From beating himself physically and mentally to being the one to inflict punishment on his opponents.
There are four matches in a row certified in three sets, recovering strength and gaining self-esteem. Zverev defeated the Russian Karen Khachanov30 years old and 50, by 6-3, 7-6 (7) and 7-6 (6) in 2h.57′. Successfully exploiting a favorable agreement to reach his sixth Grand Slam final. Raising a 2-5 first and two set points later in the last tiebreak. A relief for him.
The first was played at the 2020 US Open, when he was two sets up and two points away from the title against the Austrian Dominic Thiem. That chapter hurt him a lot, it took him seasons to assimilate it in the Grand Slam, while he showed his category by winning tournaments such as the ATP Finals or the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold.
It arrives this time in its splendor. He broke down a psychological barrier in Paris. This Sunday, at 8:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time, he will be the enemy of the public, he will face an American, Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe. Sascha is getting closer and closer to world number one. He has equaled the points scored in the current season by Jannik Sinner, a sign that he is going for the lead, especially if he is US Open champion.
In part it takes the pressure off, on the other it is an element that can help the first local finalist since Andy Roddick in 2006, three years after A-Rod himself lifted the last trophy by a USA tennis player in his Grand Slam.
Zverev defeated Khachanov for the seventh time in ten meetings, who lost his second semifinal in New Yorkfour years later, third in the Grand Slam, as she reached the penultimate round of the 2023 Australian Open.
Zverev made the break at the right moment, at 5-3 in the opening set, after a horrible game of Khachanovof continuous errors, without taking a first serve. A 5-0 partial seemed to end the match, but the German could not hold the second set at 2-0, forcing him to continue working against an expert opponent.
He resolved that setback in the tiebreak, which ended on the third set point, after fourteen minutes of tough exchanges in sudden death, many times with Zverev waiting for a failure from the opponent that ended up arriving.
With more skill than brilliance, without that extra offensive tennis that gave him so much performance in Roland Garros and WimbledonZverev complied without further problems. He arrives in a good situation on the last day, surely a rookie in ‘big’ finals.
