U. S. Open update
Fights through 12 double- faults in win vs. Coric
Absent Djokovic opens door for younger players on men’s side.
NEW YORK — The disqualification of Novak Djokovic from the U. S. Open, and the absences of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, presented quite an opportunity to Alexander Zverev and the other men left in the tournament — all in their 20s, all seeking a first Grand Slam title.
Who would falter? Who would rise to the occasion? Done in by double- faults and bothered by an officiating decision, Zverev stumbled at the start Tuesday in a quarterfinal against Borna Coric. Then, suddenly, Zverev soared.
Down a set and a break early, then so close to trailing by two sets to one, Zverev grabbed 14 of 15 points in a pivotal stretch on the way to earning his first semifinal berth at Flushing Meadows with a 16, 7- 6 ( 5), 7- 6 ( 1), 6- 3 victory over Coric.
“The Novak news shocked us all,” Zverev said, “and obviously for us younger guys, we see that as a massive opportunity. But we have to put our head down and do our job.”
It was a scratchy contest — both men generated more unforced errors than winners through two sets, and Zverev finished with 12 double- faults — and the winner acknowledged afterward that the way he played at the outset was “not the level for the quarterfinal match in a Grand Slam.”
Coric, seeded 27th, had this take: “I felt like I was in charge of the match. I saw he was struggling, not playing his best tennis.”
But Zverev got more aggressive as things went on, including essentially hitting two first serves instead of a softer, slower second following a fault, and that helped lift him to his second consecutive major semifinal, after getting that far at this year’s Australian
Open.
“I don’t want to stop here,” the 6- foot- 6 Zverev said.
Next for the 23- year- old from Germany will be the winner of a late quarterfinal between No. 12 Denis Shapovalov of Canada and No. 20 Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain.
It was Carreño Busta who was the beneficiary when Djokovic was defaulted from their fourthround match for hitting a ball that accidentally hit a line judge in the throat after a game.
The men’s quarterfinals Wednesday: Dominic Thiem vs. Alex de Minaur, and Daniil Medvedev vs. Andrey Rublev.
Jennifer Brady, a 25- yearold from Pennsylvania who is seeded 28th, claimed the first women’s semifinal spot Tuesday by defeating No. 23 seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, 6- 3, 6- 2.
“I came out with nerves. I think she did, too,” said Brady, never before in the quarterfinals of a major tournament. “I just tried to pretend it was a first- round match.”
It’s been quite a surge for Brady, whose big serve and forehand have carried her to an 11- 1 record since tennis returned from its pandemic hiatus.
Her ranking was low enough at the start of 2020 that she needed to go through qualifying to get into a tournament’s main draw. Now she’s one of four women left at the U. S. Open.