Germany’s Alexander Zverev produced a clinical display to book his place in the third round of the US Open after brushing aside Spanish veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets.
The fourth seed was never troubled throughout his dominant 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, win on the Arthur Ashe stadium. Making in one of the best major matches Zverev has ever played in terms of games dropped. Throughout the match, he impressively won 93% of his first service points and blasted 26 winners past Ramos-Vinolas who has been ranked as high as 17th in the world.
“It’s great that I am through in three sets and I played in under an hour-and-a-half. I will need that energy for further matches (at the US Open),” said Zverev.
“Albert is somebody who has beaten Federer, he has beaten top 10 players so I knew that it was going to be a difficult match. But I’m happy I only lost four games today.”
Zverev, who reached the US Open final 12 months ago, is now on a 14-match winning streak since Wimbledon. Heading into the final Grand Slam of the season he has won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics followed by the Cincinnati Masters title.
The emphatic performance highlights Zverev’s credentials to challenge Novak Djokovic for the title in New York this year. New York is the 25th major tournament he has played in but he has only started to breakthrough in the big events over the past couple of years. Besides the US Open final last year, he was also a semi-finalist at the 2020 Australian Open and the 2021 French Open.
After coming so close to major glory, the 24-year-old says he is now more motivated than ever.
“I was the first man in 785 years to lose a US Open final from two sets to love up,” Zverev joked. “Being a break up in the third set, serving for it (the title) in the fifth set and being two points away from it multiple times, it was painful. I still remember it every time I walk out onto this court (Arthur Ashe) but I think of it as motivation to be better because I am back here and have the opportunity to do better.”
In the next round, Zverev will play either 31st seed Alexander Bublik or American wildcard Jack Sock.
Also through to the third round is 22nd seed Reilly Opelka who experienced a tougher match than Zverev. The American defeated Italian rising star Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(1), 7-5, 6-4, to make it the first time he has won back-to-back matches at his home Grand Slam. Opelka is the highest-seeded American player – male or female – remaining in the draw this year.
