World No. 4 Alexander Zverev crashes out of Australian Open - UBITENNIS

World No. 4 Alexander Zverev crashes out of Australian Open

By Pawan Atri
3 Min Read

4th seed Alexander Zverev, one of the favorites for the crown, has been knocked out of the third round of the Australian Open by the unheralded Hyeon Chung of South Korea.

Zverev, who failed miserably at the Majors in 2017, was yet again unsuccessful in progressing to the fourth round of a Slam on Saturday as he succumbed 5-7, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in three hours and twenty-two minutes. The German, who was expected to challenge frontrunner Roger Federer for the title, was left to rue missed opportunities as he was leading by two sets to one. But, then he allowed his opponent to mount a stunning comeback to cause the biggest upset thus far in the men’s draw.

Chung, who proved he was one of the stars of the future, when he won the Next Gen Finals in Milan in November, wasn’t intimidated by the all-round game of the 22-year-old and in fact, stayed with him in the rallies right from the start of the contest. With his sensational win over Zverev, Chung became the first man from his nation to reach the pre-quarterfinals of the Open in Melbourne.

Zverev took an early lead in the encounter after winning the opening set in a tight finish, but Chung was quick to respond as he won five successive points in the second set tiebreaker to level the match at a set apiece. Zverev, though, was able to halt the South Korean’s momentum in the third as he raced to a 3-1 lead. Zverev broke once more before wrapping up the set.

Chung’s determination and resilience came to his rescue as he launched a full-blooded assault on the German to snatch a service break at the beginning of the fourth set before leveling the match. Incredibly, Chung’s extraordinary run of play continued in the deciding set as well as he destroyed his more famous challenger 6-0 to send shock waves across Melbourne Park.

“It was a really tough match, I was just trying to play 100 percent out there,” Chung, said on court.

He will take on either former champion Novak Djokovic or Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain in the round of 16 on Monday.

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