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Alexander Zverev reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2020 US Open on Friday night (local time). The 23-year-old finished 2-0 down against Pablo Carreño Busta for the first time in his career and won a match with few highlights after three hours and 23 minutes with 3: 6, 2: 6, 6: 3 , 6: 4, 6: 3 (Click here to see the live ticker in the review).
from tennisnet.com
Last edit: September 12, 2020 01:56
In Sunday’s final, Zverev will face game winner Dominic Thiem against Daniil Medvedev (here on LIVETICKER). Zverev is the fourth German after Michael Stich, Boris Becker and Rainer Schüttler in a men’s Grand Slam final.
“I couldn’t believe it, as a supposed favorite, to be two sets behind,” Zverev said after the match. “The conditions were very different from my other games. I played at night for the first time, the ball was slower. I couldn’t be happier now, but there is still a step to take.”
Carreño Busta overwhelms Zverev
As in the matches against Borna Coric or Adrian Mannarino, Zverev started the match weakly. He made a lot of mistakes, while Carreño Busta was simply the most solid player. Zverev regained a break after 1: 5, but was a set behind in the 41st minute.
After that though, Carreño Busta picked up the momentum with him, quickly even leading 5-0 before Zverev managed to get two games. The Spanish continued to be the best player and led 2-0.
Zverev is fighting back
Then, however, Zverev, without shining too brightly, became a little more confident. From the third set he served with better odds and made fewer errors while his opponent relaxed a bit. He gave a break to 3: 1, but after 4: 2 he served for sure. In the fourth set, a break to make it 4: 3 was decisive. Zverev, who served a total of 24 aces with eight double errors, was upset about a shot to the body but tied for sentences.
Carreño Busta underwent groin treatment before starting fifth. Zverev managed a quick counterattack to 1-0, which he managed to the end. He converted his second match point. In the end he had 71 winners and 57 unforced errors, Carreño Busta had 37 and 43 respectively.
“Pablo is someone who plays pretty flat, I had to get used to it,” said Zverev Eurosport. “I was impatient, but I started to play more aggressively at the right times.”
Zverev is playing for historic titles
If he won on Sunday, Zverev would be the first winner of a German Grand Slam in men’s singles since Boris Becker, who won the Australian Open in 1996.
In 1989, Becker was also the last German to win the title in New York. Since Rainer Schüttler in 2003 at the Australian Open, the Germans had to wait for a final in one of the four major tennis tournaments. In Melbourne, Zverev failed in his first major semi-final in January.
