NEW YORK, Sept 9: The disqualification of Novak Djokovic from the US Open, and the absences of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, presented quite an opportunity to Alexander Zverev and the other men left in the tournament � all in their 20s, all seeking a first Grand Slam title.
Who would falter? Who would rise to the occasion? Done in by double-faults and bothered by an officiating decision, Zverev stumbled at the start of Tuesday�s quarterfinal against Borna Coric. Then, suddenly, Zverev soared.
Down a set and a break early, then so close to trailing by two sets to one, Zverev grabbed 14 of 15 points in a pivotal stretch on the way to earning his first semifinal berth at Flushing Meadows with a 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory over Coric.
�The Novak news shocked us all,� Zverev said, �and obviously for us younger guys, we see that as a massive opportunity. But we have to put our head down and do our job.�
It was a scratchy contest � both men generated more unforced errors than winners through two sets, and Zverev finished with 12 double-faults � and the winner acknowledged afterward that the way he played at the outset was �not the level for the quarterfinal match in a Grand Slam.�
The 27th-seeded Coric�s take: �I felt like I was in charge of the match. I saw he was struggling, not playing his best tennis.�
But Zverev got more aggressive as things went on, including essentially hitting two first serves instead of a softer, slower second following a fault, and that helped lift him to his second consecutive major semifinal, after getting that far at this year�s Australian Open.
�I don�t want to stop here,� the 6-foot-6 Zverev said.
Next for the 23-year-old from Germany will be a match against No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, who edged No. 12 Denis Shapovalov of Canada 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-3 in a marathon that ended at after 1 am on Wednesday.
�I�m destroyed,� Carreno Busta said after the four-plus-hour match, �but I�m very, very happy.�
It was Carreno Busta who was the beneficiary when Djokovic was defaulted from their fourth-round match for hitting a ball that accidentally hit a line judge in the throat after a game.
The men�s quarterfinals on Wednesday: Dominic Thiem vs Alex de Minaur, and Daniil Medvedev vs Andrey Rublev.
In women�s action on Tuesday, two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka set up a semifinal against 28th-seeded Jennifer Brady, a 25-year-old from Pennsylvania who�s never been this far at a major tournament.
Osaka, the former No. 1-ranked who won the US Open two years ago, played far cleaner tennis than her opponent in a 6-3, 6-4 win over 93rd-ranked Shelby Rogers at night.
Rogers finished with 27 unforced errors, Osaka with eight.
Earlier, Brady defeated No. 23 seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2.
�I came out with nerves. I think she did, too,� Brady said. �I just tried to pretend it was a first-round match.�
It�s been quite a surge for Brady, whose big serve and forehand have carried her to an 11-1 record since tennis returned from its pandemic hiatus. � AP
