NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev beat sixth seed Jannik Sinner 6-4 3-6 6-2 4-6 6-3 late on Monday to move into the quarter-finals of the year’s final Grand Slam.
The 26-year-old German’s victory earned him a meeting with defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev, who is rediscovering his best form after an ankle injury wrecked his 2022 season, swapped breaks with Sinner early in the contest and was locked in a tight battle until 4-4 before going ahead to take the first set with two aces.
Sinner responded immediately with some heavy hitting in the next set to go up 3-0 and turned up the heat in a steamy Arthur Ashe Stadium to thwart the 2020 finalist’s late charge.
Sinner then struggled with cramp in both legs in the next set. The 22-year-old saved five breakpoints to hold for 2-2 but 12th seed Zverev reeled off the next four games.
World number six Sinner began swinging at everything in the fourth set and Zverev cracked under the onslaught, dropping serve in the ninth game as his opponent forced a decider.
But a crucial break in the fifth set gave Zverev the upper hand and he held his nerve to close out the win in four hours and 41 minutes with a powerful serve.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
