Zverev Exits US Open Early After Upset by Auger-Aliassime

On Friday, Ben Shelton made a statement on the court.

The following day, it was Alexander Zverev’s turn to leave the tournament.

Now, Topseed finds itself scrambling to assess the performance of American players.

Zverev, a third seed, marked his first fourth-round appearance at the US Open since 2021, overcoming a challenging record against top players with seven attempts in the Grand Slam.

In a tense encounter at Louis Armstrong Stadium, he encountered Felix Auger-Aliassime, who managed to overthrow him with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

This match marked Zverev’s first win against a top-three opponent in three years. Yet, prior to this tournament, his Grand Slam season had been underwhelming, as he had not progressed past the second round in the earlier three majors.

Still, Zverev’s performance at Queens had been promising so far, advancing through the initial matches without losing a set.

Facing Zverev was a significant test. He had reached the quarterfinals here in the past two years and was a finalist in 2020.

In an on-court interview, he expressed a sense of relief: “This feels good, this feels good.”

When questioned about whether the win could boost his confidence, he hesitated, remarking, “I think I’m an idiot. I’ll recover as soon as possible.”

In the match, Auger-Aliassime saved set points in the second and dominated early in the third set with a crucial break.

His impressive performance prompted the crowd to rally behind him, chanting, “Let’s Go Felix.”

He ultimately secured the victory, serving confidently and marking a significant win after a period of struggles.

Throughout the final sets, Auger-Aliassime’s serving consistently overwhelmed Zverev.

He faced just three breakpoints and managed to fend them all off.

His aggressive forehand play contributed to an astounding total of 50 winners in a marathon match that lasted nearly four hours.

As the match progressed, Zverev showed signs of frustration. At one point during the third set, he even threw his racket in annoyance.

After a disappointing exit at Wimbledon, he had hoped for a longer stay at Queens, but that didn’t materialize.