Zverev on course for another US Open final?

Alexander Zverev showed great authority to qualify for the quarter-finals of the US Open on Sunday. Taken by surprise by an ultra-opportunistic Brandon Nakashima in the first set, the German regained control at the start of the second set and then largely dominated the end of the match, conceding just 5 games to the American in 3 sets. He won in two and a half hours (3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2).

The world No. 4 will be the clear favorite to face Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, and if he wins, he'll meet Frances Tiafoe or Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals. These two matches appear to be well within his grasp, provided he manages to cope with the pressure, which must have increased with the early elimination of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

In any case, Zverev seems to have never come so close to contesting another final at Flushing Meadows. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, he lost to Dominic Thiem after leading 2 sets to 0 and serving for the title in the 5th set (2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6[6]).