Alexander Zverev narrowly beat Jannik Sinner in the last 16 of the US Open. However, there was a scandal during the fourth set.
Alexander Zverev reported a severe verbal lapse by a spectator during his round of 16 match at the US Open.
“He said the most famous Hitler phrase,” the 26-year-old said midway through the fourth set of his match against Italy’s Jannik Sinner, pointing towards the stands. “This is unacceptable, this is unbelievable.” In a video circulating on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, one man can clearly be heard shouting “Germany above all else. “
This was too much. As a German, I’m not proud of that story and it’s not good to do that,” Zverev said after the match. “He was sitting in the front row so a lot of people heard it. If I didn’t react, it would have been bad of me.”
Referee James Keothavong had the culprit identified in the lower tier of Arthur Ashe Stadium during the break that followed, with other spectators pointing in his direction. At 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 3-2, the spectator walked out of the stands accompanied by security guards.
In the end, the incident did not change Zverev’s quarter-final spot. Although the German lost the fourth set 4-6, he managed to get over the finish line thanks to an early break at the beginning of the fifth set.
Match until deep into the night
Both Zverev and Sinner had to fight hard in the sweltering temperatures at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium. Both players were on court for a total of four hours and 40 minutes, with the match ending at 1.40am New York time.
Zverev will now face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. Alcaraz had won his round of 16 match against the unseeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi with 6:3, 6:3 and 6:4. Alongside record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard is considered the favourite to win the title in the Big Apple.
Zverev faces a tough task on Wednesday (local time). Alcaraz won the last meeting between the two on clay in Madrid 6-1 and 6-2. The US Open is also the only Grand Slam tournament in which Zverev has ever reached the final. In 2020, he was defeated in the final by Austrian Dominic Thiem.
