Top seed Alexander Zverev finally makes quick work of US Open opponent

Alexander Zverev finally had a short day at the US Open. After five-set battles against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, the top seed dismissed Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 7-6, 6-2.

The German, seeded first in the tournament because Jannik Sinner is absent, never came close to being threatened by the world No. 28. He will face Italy’s Luciano Darderi in the round of 16.

Zverev’s schedule has been anything but easy. Every match so far has finished after midnight in New York. His first-round match ended at 1:55 a.m., the second at 2:14 a.m., and the third at 1:09 a.m. In total, he has spent more than 11 hours on court.

According to ESPN, he is the first top-seeded men’s player to spend so long reaching the round of 16 at a Grand Slam since match-length records began in 1991. “My coach was actually quite clever. He explained to me that a best-of-five match does not mean you have to play all five sets,” Zverev said jokingly after beating Tabilo.

On the women’s side, second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-6, 6-3. She advanced to a meeting with former champion Naomi Osaka.

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My coach was actually quite clever. He explained to me that a best-of-five match does not mean you have to play all five sets.