Alexander Zverev may be more ready than he thinks after latest US Open duel with Dimitrov

NEW YORK—“The first two sets were two of the best sets I’ve played all season long,” Alexander Zverev said after his 6-7 (2), 7-6 (8), 6-1, 6-1 win over Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday in Louis Armstrong Stadium.

They were two of the best, and best received, sets of any match, by any players, in 2023. Even though there were no Americans or Top Tenners involved, Armstrong was at full capacity and full roar for the entirety of the two and a half hours that it took to finish the first two, tiebreaker sets.

On Thursday, Dimitrov had played a flawlessly patient match to beat Andy Murray in three lopsided sets. Against Zverev, he continued the type of patient, thoughtful play he had used against Murray. Dimitrov was content to slice his backhand low and deep, until he had a chance to quickly change the pace with his forehand or dart to the net. For the better part of the the first two sets, Dimitrov constructed a seemingly impenetrable defensive wall, mixed with strategic attacks, that kept Zverev bending and reaching and guessing for everything. Dimitrov led 7-6, 4-2, and looked like a good bet to make the fourth round of the US Open for the fourth time.

But being up a set and a break always brings a new pressure with it. Now you’re officially ahead, and if you lose you will have officially blown an opportunity. That pressure seemed to hit Dimitrov immediately; Zverev broke him back for 4-3, and the two continued to trade holds until 6-6.

In the tiebreaker Dimitrov again looked to be the better player. He went up 4-3, and then missed making a brilliant forehand pass from the far corner by an inch. Dimitrov had a set point for a two-set lead at 6-5, only to see Zverev erase it with an ace down the T. Zverev saved another set point at 7-8 with a smash, before making the key tactical move of the night.

At 8-8, rather than drive his backhand crosscourt, the way he had all match, he sliced it, with a tailing sidespin, down the line. Dimitrov had to scramble to get to it, and Zverev was there to ram home the rally with a forehand approach for 9-8. When Dimitrov put a backhand into the net on the next point, it was suddenly one-set all. Zverev was screaming, the crowd was on its feet, and Dimitrov, frankly, was finished. Exhaustion, and a leg injury, kept him from being competitive over the last two, 6-1, 6-1, sets.

“It was an unbelievably high level, it was unbelievably physical,” Zverev said. “I think we killed each other in the first two sets.”

They killed each other, but Zverev survived. After a seven-month injury layoff in 2022, he’s been finding his old form and fitness for the most of this season. Now he’s finding ways to win good, close matches. In Cincinnati, Zverev made a tactical shift that helped him beat Daniil Medvedev after three straight losses to him. On Saturday, he hung on while Dimitrov played his best tennis, and did just what he needed to advance.

Now Zverev has reached the business the end of his tournament: A fourth-round encounter with Jannik Sinner. The Italian is ranked six spots higher than the German, but Zverev is 3-1 against him. Zverev says we should really only begin to assess his level next season, when he starts fresh and isn’t coming back from an injury. But it will still be interesting to see where he is on Tuesday. He may be more ready than he thinks.