On the seventh day of the US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, Alexander Zverev defeated Alejandro Tabilo in the men's singles match. Following this triumph, the German tennis player advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Zverev won with scores of 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), and 6-2, accelerating quickly after previous intense matches. This result allowed him to reach the eleventh round of the tournament after having previously played two marathon five-set matches.
Up to that point, the German player had spent nine hours and 26 minutes on court in his first two matches, which is the most time any seeded player has taken to reach the third round of a major tournament since 1999. Zverev noted that his coach advised him that a match not going to five sets does not mean he needs to play all five sets.
Meanwhile, the Chilean player, who was seeded 25th, aimed to avenge his loss to Zverev in the first round last year on the same court at Arthur Ashe. In the first set, Zverev demonstrated high efficiency, avoiding a break point and winning all 11 points on his first serve, as well as five out of seven on his second.
He broke Tabilo's serve twice to win the first set in 38 minutes, and repeated this to gain a 4-2 lead in the second set. However, Tabilo began to find his rhythm, and the pace of the game slowed down, turning the match into a tense confrontation. He got his first chance when he was at 0-30 on Zverev's serve in the sixth game of the second set, but the German quickly neutralized the threat.
In the eighth game, Tabilo managed to secure a break, winning three consecutive games and bringing the score to 5-4. He put Zverev in a difficult position in the tenth game, threatening to break serve and win the set. Zverev managed to save two match points but then broke Tabilo's serve in the next game. Nevertheless, the Chilean immediately responded, forcing a tie-break, which Zverev won.
Undeterred, Tabilo created two break points in the first game of the third set, but Zverev closed both rallies with a winner. Zverev won the final four games, concluding the match in two hours and 26 minutes.