US Open: Alexander Zverev reaches fourth round after Jack Sock retires

Germany’s Alexander Zverev considers himself a bit lucky after his opponent Jack Sock had to pull out of the third round match due to an upper right leg injury at the Arther Ashe Stadium on Sunday. Sock dominated the first set comprehensively as he won it by 6-3.

However, Zverev bounced back in the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead before the American had to pull out due to injury in the fourth set. The German advanced to the fourth round after winning by 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 2-1.

The 24-year admitted that he could have been in deep trouble had Sock continued to play the way he did in the first set. Sock was able to put his noses in front in the first with some cleaning striking and the World no.4 had no answers to the onslaught.

“If Jack would have continued playing the way he was playing in the first set it would have been done in an hour-and-a-half and I would have planned my holidays and I would have had a good time next week somewhere in the south of France,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.

“Jack is an incredible player. He’s been Top 10, he’s beaten me multiple times, he’s beaten top players multiple times. He’s a Masters 1000 champion and he showed it in the first set. “He hit three-thousand winners and zero unforced errors in that first set, so when he’s playing like that, I’ve actually never seen that before. I’ve never played against anybody who was playing at that level, so I hope he can get healthy again and he’ll be at the top of the game very soon.”

Zverev feels it is not easy to play if the opponent is struggling physically. Sock decided to withdraw after three games in the fourth set.

“It’s difficult to sometimes play someone who is not 100 percent. I think everybody saw that Jack was really struggling physically,” Zverev said. “You have to keep your focus. At the end of the day we are all competitors and we have to somehow bring the match to the end.”

On the other hand, Zverev, who has been in sublime form in the recent past will play his round of 16 match against Italy’s youngster Jannik Sinner. The German reckons it will be a thrilling match.

“I think my fourth-round match against Jannik Sinner is going to be extremely entertaining because he’s a very young guy who is very hungry and I feel like that is going to be a high-level match,” Zverev said. “I do know that I’m playing okay, but I do know that other players are playing extremely well as well, so I’m hoping to keep my form and give myself the best chance.”