Zverev advances to US Open Round of 16

September 06, 2026 / 4:05 PM

Sharjah 24: German Alexander Zverev, ranked second in the world, reached the round of 16 of the US Open, the last of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, after defeating Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 on Saturday. Polish Iga Swiatek and American Coco Gauff also advanced to the same round in the women's draw.

Zverev shows improvement despite an inconsistent performance

On paper, Zverev, the top seed in the tournament in the absence of Italian Jannik Sinner, had a much better result in the third round compared to the previous two, having narrowly won his first two matches in five sets. However, his third match was not easy, even though he won in three sets, as his performance was still far from reassuring.

"From the baseline, it was clearly better," the German said after the match. "I think I can play better, but I'm happy with the way things are going."

Unforced errors highlight Zverev's struggles

Zverev delivered an inconsistent performance, losing his serve twice in the second set and committing 32 unforced errors throughout the match.

Nevertheless, the French Open champion remains in contention, awaiting his first major test in the second week against Italy's Luciano Darderi (22).

Cerondolo knocks out title contender Taylor Fritz

In other matches, Argentina's Francisco Cerondolo (25) eliminated American Taylor Fritz, the tenth seed and one of the top contenders for the title, with a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.