Zverev overcomes 12 double-faults at US Open; Osaka into SF
NEW YORK (AP) — 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 of Tuesday’s 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 1-6, 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 doublefaults — 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.”
The 27th-seeded Coric’s 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 sai d.
Next for the 23-year-old from Germany will be the winner of Tuesday night’s 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.
In women’s action Tuesday, two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka set up a semifinal against 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady, a 25-year-old from Pennsylvania who’s never been this far at a major tournament.
Osaka, the former No. 1-ranked played who won the U.S. Open two years ago, played far cleaner tennis than her opponent in a 6-3, 6-4 win over 93rd-ranked Shelby Rogers at night.
Rogers finished with 27 unforced errors, Osaka with eight.
---AP