Serving With Sizzle, Zverev Races Into US Open R3

  • Posted: Sep 02, 2021

Alexander Zverev continues to shape up as the man most likely to disrupt Novak Djokovic’s quest for the Grand Slam at the US Open after powering into the third round Thursday with a crushing 6-1, 6-0 6-3 win over Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

The World No. 4 has been dominant on serve this week, not offering a single break point opportunity to Sam Querrey in the first round nor left-handed Ramos-Vinolas in today’s rout, which lasted just 74 minutes. He has dropped just eight points on his first serve through six sets.

The Monte-Carlo resident earned his 40th match win of the season and extended his winning streak to 13 matches, a run that includes clinching gold at the Tokyo Olympics and his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The German, who came within two points of seizing his first major in last year’s US Open championship match against Dominic Thiem, will next play the winner of No. 31 seed Alexander Bublik, of Kazakhstan, or American Jack Sock.

If seedings hold, Zverev will meet Djokovic in the semi-finals, where he would look to repeat his victory over the World No. 1 at the Olympics.

He has now reached the third round at Flushing Meadows for four consecutive years. Today, Zverev won 40 of 43 first-serve points and fired 11 aces against three double faults. Against Querrey in the first round, the German won 46 of 51 first-serve points and hit 18 aces to one double fault.

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