Alexander Zverev can only hope for a quicker night at the office when he faces Alejandro Tabilo in round three of the U.S. Open on Saturday. Zizou Bergs and Botic van de Zandschulp are also aiming for a place in the second week.
(1) Alexander Zverev vs. (25) Alejandro Tabilo
Zverev has been the marathon man so far at the U.S. Open. And that — aside from winning each of his first two matches — is not a good thing. Logging nine hours and 26 minutes of court time has not yet cost the top seed, but it could be severely detrimental to his chances down the road. Will it catch up to him as early as the third round, or — if at all — not until the business end of the tournament? That is the question heading into another night-session showdown on Saturday, this one against Tabilo.
It marks their third meeting, and Zverev has won each of their first two encounters — 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the 2024 Rome semifinals and 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-4 in round one of this same event 12 months ago. Tabilo gets another shot at the second-ranked German after taking out both Yannick Hanfmann and Alexei Popyrin in four sets. Zverev, on the other hand, endured five-set thrillers against both Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys. That’s why the Chilean has a legitimate chance in this match. At the same time, possible fatigue may not be a terrible thing for Zverev. If he decides to play more aggressive in an effort to keep points shorter than usual, that could be a good thing. After all, that’s the way he should play even when he is physically perfect.
Pick: Zverev in 4
(31) Zizou Bergs vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
Bergs and Van de Zandschulp will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. A win would put Bergs in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. The 37th-ranked Belgian finds himself in the third round of a slam for the fourth time — and second in a row at the U.S. Open — following four-set victories over Carlos Taberner and Jesper de Jong.
For Van de Zandschulp, a big win in New York would be nothing new. The world No. 70 upset Carlos Alcaraz in the second round two years ago and reached the quarterfinals in 2021. He is back in the last 32 after ousting Jan Choinski and No. 6 seed Alex de Minaur in straight sets. Thus continues a solid summer for Van de Zandschulp, who advanced to the Montreal fourth round and the Winston-Salem quarterfinals. The Dutchman has been absolutely all over the place in his career — but when he is hot, he is arguably a top-20 talent. And he is certainly hot right now.
Pick: Van de Zandschulp in 4
WWW?
Botic in 3
Zverev looked so much better today.
knew he would