Alcaraz, in search of a third Grand Slam title, clearly dominated the Italian Matteo Arnaldi (61st) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
“I’m happy with the intensity I put in from the first to the last point, especially going up to the net a lot,” commented the 20-year-old Spaniard. world number 1, he already knows that he will return this place to Novak Djokovic at the end of the tournament regardless of the results.
The only possible sign of concern, he played with a huge bandage on his left thigh. But in fact, the Spaniard did not seem to really suffer.
“I felt a little pain in my left leg, but nothing serious. Bandaging is a precaution,” he said.
In the night, he had to rub his hands seeing, or learning, the difficulty of his next opponent to qualify.
Because Zverev (12th) took 4:41 to dismiss 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 a Sinner (6th) yet handicapped by thigh pain from the second set.
“It’s the longest game of my US Open career… It’s what I live for, it’s what I love. Last year, when I couldn’t play, that’s exactly what I missed: finishing in the middle of the night, such a long and difficult match, in front of the Arthur-Ashe Court crowd,” said the 26-year-old German.
He had missed the 2022 tournament due to a serious right ankle injury that occurred in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros against Rafael Nadal.
“In the fourth set, I thought I was finished, but I regained energy thanks to the public,” he confessed.
There will therefore be no rematch of the memorable 2022 quarter-final, which saw Sinner lose in five sets to Alcaraz.
Will Zverev have recovered from this grueling duel against the Italian when it comes time to face one of the most physical players in history? “I’m here to play. I don’t know how it will end, but I will do my best,” he promised.
2023-09-05 10:53:47
#Zverev #robs #Sinner #rematch #Alcaraz #York
