World No. 2 Alexander Zverev opened up on his Round of 16 win over Luciano Darderi in US Open. The top-seeded player registered a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) win over his Italian counterpart to advance ahead in his quest of second Major.
Speaking after the tournament, he told JioStar, “Yeah, I think it was another step forward, which I’m very happy about. I thought the third-round match was a big step forward compared to the first two matches, which was very, very needed. And yeah, I’m happy to be in the quarterfinals with this kind of performance.”
The top-seed also revealed as to what worked for him from the third round onwards, and said, “I was struggling on the American hard courts, so I didn’t come in with a lot of confidence initially. I think I really needed, especially the first round, I really needed a win like that. The second round, I made it difficult for myself, but I felt like I was getting into the tournament, and sometimes that’s what you need. I’m happy with it, and happy to be still in the tournament.”
Interestingly, the German has become the only man to reach the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams this year. He will now be up against Botic van de Zandschulp in the final four following the Dutchman’s win over lucky loser Arthur Gea.
With inputs from press release
