US Open: Zverev comes through Altmaier test to reach third round

No 12 seed Alexander Zverev advanced to the third round of the US Open by winning against Daniel Altmaier 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Zverev, ranked No 12, will faces a significant challenge in the next round when he takes on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the No 19 seed, in what is a blockbuster third-round encounter.

“Winning when you’re not playing well is more difficult” – Zverev

“There are definitely some things I need to work on but I’m happy to be through, because I think winning when you’re playing well is easy. Winning when you’re not playing well is more difficult. I think the great champions always do that. With that, I’m pleased today,” Zverev said after his win.”

“I think my level picked up from the middle of the third to the end of the match. After that I think I was dominating in a way. It was extremely tough to play out there. It was very, very windy. It was very difficult conditions, very different from the last few days, to be honest,” the German said. “I think just getting used to that, I think he’s somebody that fights extremely well. He’s somebody that makes effort every point he plays. I was a little bit fighting myself, in a way, in the beginning, but then turned around in the third and fourth set.”

Alexander Zverev beat Australian Aleksandar Vukic (6-4, 6-4, 6-4) ahead of his victory.

In the previous round of the Flushing Meadows tournament, Altmaier, ranked No 53, won against Frenchman Constant Lestienne (6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1, 6-2).

New York (Grand Slam), other second-round results (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 44.700.000, most recent results first):

• Daniil Medvedev vs. Christopher O’Connell
• Carlos Alcaraz vs. Lloyd Harris
• Gael Monfils vs. Andrey Rublev
• Felipe Meligeni Alves vs. Sebastian Baez
• Botic van de Zandschulp vs. Daniel Evans
• Nicolas Jarry vs. Alex Michelsen
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Stan Wawrinka
• Yu Hsiou Hsu vs. Cameron Norrie
• Yibing Wu vs. Alex De Minaur
• Arthur Fils vs. Matteo Arnaldi: thursday
• Matteo Berrettini vs. Arthur Rinderknech: thursday
• Andy Murray vs. Grigor Dimitrov: thursday
• Jack Draper beat Hubert Hurkacz (17): 6-2, 6-4, 7-5
• Michael Mmoh vs. John Isner: thursday
• Jannik Sinner (6) beat Lorenzo Sonego: 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
• Taylor Fritz (9) beat Juan Pablo Varillas: 6-1, 6-2, 6-2
• Frances Tiafoe (10) beat Sebastian Ofner: 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
• Zhizhen Zhang beat Casper Ruud (5): 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2
• Jakub Mensik (Q) beat Titouan Droguet (Q): 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (1), 6-3
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (21) beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo: 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
• Tommy Paul (14) beat Roman Safiullin: 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
• Rinky Hijikata (WC) beat Marton Fucsovics: 6-1, 6-2, 6-1
• Ben Shelton beat Dominic Thiem: 7-6 (1), 1-0 ret.
• Adrian Mannarino (22) beat Fabian Marozsan: 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
• Jiri Vesely beat Francisco Cerundolo (20): 7-6 (5), 6-2, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (6)
• Novak Djokovic (2) beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles: 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
• Benjamin Bonzi (WC) beat Christopher Eubanks (28): 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7)
• Aslan Karatsev beat Roberto Carballes Baena: 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
• Laslo Djere (32) beat Hugo Gaston (Q): 6-1, 6-2, 6-3
• Borna Gojo (Q) beat Mackenzie McDonald: 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
• Dominic Stricker (Q) beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (7): 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-3