mtenis.com.pl

Sinner to face Zverev for quarter-final berth

Novak Djokovic’s bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2021 enters its final week on Monday as the top seed takes on #NextGenATP American Jenson Brooksby for the first time at the US Open. The Serbian has never lost to an American at Flushing Meadows in 10 previous ATP Head2Head meetings and stands unbeaten in his past 20 showdowns with players from the US overall.

The three-time champion will be wary of the 20-year-old wild card – the youngest from the home contenders to reach the fourth round in New York since a 20-year-old Andy Roddick in 2002. It will be No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Race to Turin versus sixth in the ATP Race to Milan.

Brooksby was outside the Top 200 in the FedEx ATP Rankings less than four months ago, but cracked the Top 100 earlier this month after he reached the final in Newport and the semi-finals in Washington, D.C. He avenged a first-round Roland Garros defeat to Aslan Karatsev from May to book his maiden Grand Slam fourth-round berth.

“It will be a great challenge. One of the toughest there can be,” Brooksby said. “But I'm really believing in myself with what I'm showing out there so far. I got a great team around me to help me recover.. [It] will be really exciting.


You May Also Like: Djokovic Moves Past Nishikori At US Open
“I'm sure it will be a full crowd. I'm excited to see how well I can focus, see how well I can play with one of the biggest challenges and with one of the biggest crowds in a court that you can get.”

Djokovic won his 17th straight showdown against Kei Nishikori, following a hard-fought four-set triumph in the third round. Brooksby will be sure to ride the home crowd support, not that it will faze his opponent.

“Arthur Ashe is the place where you bring the energy, that's for sure, where you feel this kind of electric atmosphere, particularly in the matches like this where it's decided in a few points,” Djokovic said after his win over Nishikori. “Yeah, the crowd was involved. It was loud. It was nice. I thrived on that.”

Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Alexander Zverev continues his campaign for a maiden Grand Slam title when he tackles #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The pair split two prior ATP Head2Head meetings, with Sinner having won their only previous clash at a major at Roland Garros last year.

Sinner survived 17th seed Gael Monfils in five sets to reach the fourth round in New York for the first time, while Zverev advanced after Jack Sock retired in the fourth set with a groin injury. Following his Tokyo and Cincinnati title runs, Zverev looks for his 15th straight match win against the 20-year-old.

In the second German vs. Italian fourth-round showdown on Monday, qualifier Oscar Otte takes on Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini on Louis Arrmstrong Stadium for a place in his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final. The World No. 144 would become the lowest-ranked US Open quarter-finalist since No. 174 Jimmy Connors in 1991 should he level the ledger at 1-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head.

Otte has already beaten two Italians in the main draw this year – 20th seed Lorenzo Sonego and Andreas Seppi. Sixth seed Berrettini is bidding to reach his third major quarter-final of 2021 and comes off a five-set victory over Winston-Salem champion Ilya Ivashka.

A first-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist is guaranteed on Louis Armstrong Stadium when 22nd seed Reilly Opelka and unseeded South African Lloyd Harris meet for the second time. The 24-year-old American narrowly edged the World No. 46 in a third-set tie-break en route to the Toronto final last month. Harris picked up his third Top 10 victory of the season when he defeated seventh seed Denis Shapovalov in straight sets in the third round.