Alexander Zverev could not have asked for a better U.S. Open draw, as Luciano Darderi now stands in the German’s way of the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, a surprising fourth-round matchup on Monday features Botic van de Zandschulp and Arthur Gea.
(1) Alexander Zverev vs. (21) Luciano Darderi
Zverev was the marathon man at the U.S. Open through two rounds, logging nine hours and 26 minutes of court time against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys. Sonego was even two points from victory in round one. Zverev is still alive, though, and now he should be in much better shape moving forward after needing only two hours and 26 minutes to dismiss Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-2 on Saturday night.
Up next for the second-ranked German on Monday is fourth-round matchup against Darderi, with the head-to-head series tied at one win apiece. Zverev prevailed 7-6(3), 6-2 at the 2024 Rome Masters before Darderi pulled off a 1-6, 7-6(10), 6-0 upset at that same tournament earlier this season. The proverbial rubber match is set after Darderi had little trouble advancing through his first three rounds in New York. The 22nd-ranked Italian dropped just two sets in total while ousting Harry Wendelken, Dalibor Svrcina, and Dane Sweeny. Needless to say, though, that was an absolute dream of a Week 1 draw. Such good fortune, of course, runs out with the No. 1 seed on the other side of the net. Darderi has never advanced past round for of a major and it’s unlikely he gets over that hump this time.
Pick: Zverev in 3
(LL) Arthur Gea vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
Gea appeared to be on the next flight out of New York after he got clobbered by Nishesh Basavareddy 6-3, 6-1 in the final round of qualifying, but he snagged a lucky-loser spot in the main draw when Casper Ruud withdrew. The rest is history, as Gea suddenly finds himself in the second week of Grand Slam following victories over Juan Manuel Cerundolo (five sets), Zachary Svajda, and Michael Zheng (five sets). Currently 87th in the world but one win away from a top-50 ranking, the 21-year-old Frenchman faced deficits in each of his first three matches. He trailed Cerundolo two sets to one, Svajda by a set, and Zheng two sets to one.
Gea’s improbable run continues on Monday with a first-ever showdown against Van de Zandschulp. Although the 30-year-old Dutchman was also nowhere close to being seeded in New York, his appearance in round four is less of a surprise. After all, this is a guy who once beat Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open (2024) and also boasts wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Van de Zandschulp is once again playing well at this event with defeats of Jan Choinski, Alex de Minaur, and Zizou Bergs. The world No. 70’s summer already featured a fourth-round result in Montreal and a quarterfinal showing in Winston-Salem. Van de Zandschulp is rolling right now and has a significant edge in experience, so look for him to advance.
Pick: Van de Zandschulp in 4
WWW?
Zverev in 3, Botic in 5
Also btw you wrote round for not round four
We have Another Arthur.
Arthur Fery at Wmbldn. (You actually don’t need the vowels; that’s exactly how the British announcers pronounce it — you try it.😉)
Now Arthur Gea at the US Open, unexpected deep run. To be fair he’s a young’un and may well have development potential, looking at his tournament record in Challengers etc.
Zv in 3; BDV in 3