By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Top seed Alexander Zverev lost his way in the second set but got his game back under control to secure a 6-2 7-6(2) 6-2 victory over Alejandro Tabilo and reach the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Saturday.
After spending a gruelling nine hours and 26 minutes on court across back-to-back five-setters against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, the last thing the German would have wanted was another long night on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“My coach was quite smart, he said that best-of-five sets doesn’t mean that you have to play five sets. I didn’t know it until now, that was quite helpful,” Zverev joked later.
“I’m happy with my level right now, it’s going in the right direction and I’m happy to be in the second week.
“I didn’t practice much yesterday, only an hour, which is very little for me. I’d spent almost 10 hours on court, so I had to find my rhythm somehow. I still think I can play better, but for now I’m happy with how things are going.”
The 29-year-old, who won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and finished runner-up at Wimbledon, stormed out of the blocks by breaking 25th seed Tabilo twice before taking the first set with an unreturnable serve to love.
Zverev raced to a 4-2 lead in the second set but his level suddenly dropped, allowing world number 28 Tabilo to claim three games in a row and go within touching distance of drawing level in the match.
However, the Chilean was unable to press home the advantage and Zverev, after chiding a courtside fan who appeared to be offering coaching advice during the ensuing tiebreak, rediscovered his composure and his best tennis, pulling away to tighten his grip on the match.
The writing was on the wall for Tabilo when Zverev raced ahead 5-2 in the third, and the German booked his place in the round of 16 where 21st-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi awaits.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
