Zverev marches into quarters with pre-midnight finish

Top seed Alexander Zverev avoided a five-set marathon for the second match in a row, with a quick-fire 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3), win over Luciano Darderi to reach the US Open quarter-finals.

The German finished before midnight and joked that he now had time on his hands after ending around the 2 a.m. mark in his first two matches at the major last week.

“I don’t know what to do with myself because it’s before midnight,” he joked. “I might go back to the practice court, I might go to a bar — that was a joke, unfortunately.

“Compared to the first two matches, the level has been going up.”

The world no. 2 got past his Italian opposition in two and a half hours , earning a double break in the opening set and carrying the momentum straight through into the last eight of the year’s final major.

He advanced on his 13th ace to next face Dutchman Botic Vandezandschulp, who won a five-setter  over France’s Arthur Gea lasting nearly five and a quarter hours.

Zverev said his relatively quick win came as a relief.  “I think after ten hours on court, I just maybe found my rhythm a little bit better.

“(That is) helpful because the first two (five-set) matches were really not great
level, especially the second round. I’m happy that there are improvements.”

Also in the fourth round, Karen Khachanov went five sets and nearly four hours to deliver a lesson to Lerner Tien 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-4 to face Belgian Alexander Blockx.