WHAT HAPPENED: No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev lost the first set of his late-night match in Louis Armstrong Stadium, but staged a spirited comeback to dismiss unseeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 in three hours and 36 minutes to advance to Round 4 of the 2024 US Open.
The Round 3 match finished at 2:35 a.m., making it the second latest finish in US Open history—behind only the 2:50 a.m. finish between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2022.
After dropping the opening set in 62 minutes, Zverev fell behind 2-4 in the second set, but the German found the range on his ground strokes and then began disrupting Etcheverry’s rhythm by coming to the net.
Zverev won four of the next five games to take a 6-5 lead. He then got through an intense 14-minute game and secured a critical service break in the 12th game to win the set in 63 minutes and level the match at one set all.
With the momentum in his favor, Zverev cut down on his unforced errors and took command of the third set as he broke Etcheverry in the second, fourth and sixth games to take a 5-1 lead. Zverev wrapped up the set in the next game with a service hold as Etcheverry’s cross-court slice backhand landed past the baseline on set point.
One of the key moments of the fourth set was in the sixth game when Zverev came back from 0-40 to hold and stay on serve at 3-3. He broke Etcheverry in the next game and then held serve for a 5-3 advantage. The Argentine served to try to stay in the match, but Zverev finished it with a booming overhead smash winner on match point.
“It was a great atmosphere. It was so much fun to play. Tomas played an incredible match. He had me on the ropes for the first two sets,” Zverev said. “I’m just glad that I came through and won. He played extremely well. I feel I had to make the match very physical and make it as long as possible.”
WHAT IT MEANS: Playing in his ninth-career US Open main draw, Zverev advances to Round 4 of the US Open for the fifth straight year. The 2020 US Open runner-up will face unseeded American Brandon Nakashima, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) third-round winner over No. 18 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. Zverev holds a 2-0 edge over Nakashima in career head-to-head meetings.
With his third-round win over Etcheverry, the 27-year-old Zverev now leads the Argentine 2-0 in career head-to-head meetings. In their first encounter, Zverev defeated Etcheverry, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2023.
MATCH POINT: Tonight's US Open Round 3 win in Louis Armstrong Stadium was a significant one for Zverev. In addition to improving his career US Open record to 25-8, the No. 4 ranked Zverev became the first male player born in 1990 or later to earn 100 Grand Slam match wins. His overall record in Grand Slam matches now stands at 100-34.
