New York, September 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
German top seed Alexander Zverev joked about having too much free time after his latest US Open win, saying he was unsure whether to head back to the practice court or go out after finishing his fourth-round match before midnight.
Zverev defeated Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) in two hours and 31 minutes to reach the quarterfinals. It marked another relatively quick finish after his previous-round victory over Alejandro Tabilo, which lasted two hours and 26 minutes.
The contrast was stark with Zverev’s opening two matches of the tournament, in which he battled through five-setters and spent a combined nine hours and 26 minutes on court. Both encounters had taken him to around 2 a.m. local time.
“To be honest, I don’t know what to do with myself because it is before midnight,” Zverev said with a smile during his post-match interaction. “So, am I going back to the practice court or am I going out to a bar, I don’t know. Unfortunately, that was a joke; relax.”
Zverev was pleased with the improvement in his level as the tournament progressed.
“I am definitely happy; compared to the first two matches, the level has been going up. Of course that is the goal, and I am happy about that,” he said.
The German made a commanding start against Darderi, securing an early double break before comfortably taking the opening set. He repeated the pattern in the second, but Darderi responded strongly in the third set and pushed the top seed into a tiebreak.
“I thought my level was very consistent. It was just that he started playing incredibly well in the third set,” Zverev said.
“I barely saw anyone hit the ball as hard as he did consistently in the third set. Credit to him, he made it very difficult for me, but I am happy to be in the quarterfinals, happy to be playing this way,” added the current Roland Garros champion.
Zverev will next face Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, who produced a remarkable comeback against Arthur Gea, recovering from two sets down and saving a match point before winning the five-hour, 15-minute battle.
“It’s been a crazy comeback. Five hours, [almost] 15 minutes. Still standing, so that’s a good thing,” van de Zandschulp said.
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