Fritz stuns Zverev to reach US Open semi-finals
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Taylor Fritz beat Alexander Zverev 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) on Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AFP) – Taylor Fritz won a big-hitting battle with Alexander Zverev to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open on Tuesday.
The 12th-seeded Fritz came through against the fourth-seeded 2020 runner-up 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) and will face either American compatriot Frances Tiafoe or Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria for a place in Sunday's final.
Zverev's defeat means world number one Jannik Sinner is the only top-four player left in the draw following the shock early exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
"I have had a few looks at Grand Slam quarter-finals over the years so I felt it was my turn to take a step further," said the 26-year-old Fritz who cracked 12 aces amongst his 45 winners.
"I've always had a big serve but at the top of the game it comes back a lot more.
"So I've tried to add more to my game with drop shots, coming to the net to back up the serve."
On Tuesday, Fritz saw three set points come and go in the opener before sweeping through the tie-break.
Zverev registered the first break of the match in the eighth game of the second set on his way to levelling the quarter-final.
The two men exchanged early breaks in the third set until Zverev's serve let him down in the 10th game. Fritz got into the rallies and converted a fifth set point to go ahead in the tie for the second time.
Zverev saved two break points in the sixth game of the fourth set but once Fritz had won a lung-busting 24-shot rally in the tie-breaker, he had the momentum for victory.
ZVEREV WAS 'ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE' IN US OPEN EXIT
Alexander Zverev described his performance in Tuesday's US Open quarter-final loss to Taylor Fritz as "absolutely terrible".
The fourth-ranked German was runner-up in 2020 and was bidding to reach a third semi-final at the tournament and ninth at all the Grand Slams.
However, his dream of finally going on to capture a maiden Slam title was destroyed by US 12th seed Fritz in a 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) defeat.
"I did nothing to deserve to win. It's as simple as that," said the crestfallen German. "Terrible. Just absolutely terrible by me."
Zverev bemoaned the failure of his backhand which he considers to be his signature stroke.
"Normally wake me up at 3:00 a.m. and I still would not miss," said the player who finished his tournament with 78 unforced errors on his backhand, more than any of the quarter-finalists.
"At some point I didn't know what to do anymore. At some point I just had so many questions in my mind," said Zverev.
"I had absolutely no idea whether I should go for it, whether I should put the ball on the court. Then I tried to put the ball on the court, it would go bottom of the net."
Zverev is rapidly becoming the nearly man of Grand Slam tennis.
He squandered a two-set lead to lose the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem.
At the French Open in June this year, he led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to one before losing another five-set final.
Asked whether Tuesday's setback had left him feeling frustrated that an opportunity had been lost in a tournament where both Novak Djokovic and Alcarez exited in the first week, he admitted he was "the most angry in a long time".
