The US Open is in full swing and is bringing many surprising stories. Novak Djokovic (2nd ATP) sensationally said goodbye to the tournament in the third round, losing to Alexei Popyrin (28th ATP). Their meeting on Arthur Ahse's court was prolonged, which is why the next match between Aryna Sabalenka (2nd WTA) and Ekaterina Alexandrova (31st WTA) ended shortly before 2:00 a.m. local time. But there was someone who finished playing even later.
Two matches were scheduled for the Friday evening session on Louis Armstrong Court (it started at 7:00 p.m.). The first match pitted Madison Keys (14th WTA) against Elise Mertens (33rd WTA). It turned out to be an exceptionally long one, with the Belgian winning 6:7 (5-7), 7:5, 6:4 after two hours and 50 minutes of play. Only then could Alexander Zverev (4th ATP) and Tomas Martin Etcheverry (33rd ATP) enter the court.
Alexander Zverev beats Tomas Martin Etcheverry at US Open. They finished playing in the middle of the night
The match started unexpectedly, with the favorite losing his serve. Later, the German made up for the loss and made it 4:4, and in the next game he saved a break point and was close to winning the game. But suddenly he dropped his tone significantly and eventually lost 5:7.
In addition, at the beginning of the second set, Zverev had to defend himself from another loss of serve. He managed to do it then, but not in the fifth game. However, he broke Etcheverry quite quickly and then took the lead 6:5. Then the German and the Argentine played as many as 17 points in the game, until the first of them finally used the second set point.
In the third set, the fourth-ranked player increasingly showed his advantage. He quickly broke his opponent, and even Etcheverry's return break didn't throw him off his rhythm. He won four more games (although he defended four break points), and the whole set 6:1.
Then the game became more even. At 2:3, Zverev defended three times from losing his serve, then went on the offensive. He won the next three games, including two on his opponent's serve, and secured his place in the fourth round of the tournament.
US Open third round: Alexander Zverev – Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3
The three-hour, 35-minute match ended at 2:35 a.m. local time. It is the second latest match in US Open history. The record is the 2022 match, in which Carlos Alcaraz (3. ATP) faced… Zverev – it ended at 2:50 a.m.
The victory over the Argentine was exceptional for the German, as it was exactly the 100th Grand Slam appearance in history. He became the first player born in the 1990s or later to reach this milestone. He will have a chance for a 101st Grand Slam victory in the fourth round match with Brandon Nakashima (50. ATP).