US Open PICS: Zverev, Fritz to clash in quarter-finals

Images from the men's singles action at the US Open on Sunday.

Alexander Zverev stayed on course for his first major title after ending American Brandon Nakashima’s run to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open for the fourth time.

The German lost the first set but came back strongly to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. 

"I was extremely defensive at the beginning of the match and Brandon used it very well and played an awesome set," said Zverev, after registering his 450th victory in two hours and 38 minutes.

"I knew that I had to step up my game and take the ball on the rise more and I did well today and I am happy to be back in the quarter-finals."

Zverev, who will meet Taylor Fritz next, looked on course for victory in the fourth set but he almost twisted his right ankle chasing a ball down on his right at 3-1.

Despite showing a look of anguish on his face after the point, he showed little sign of discomfort and won three of the next four games to advance. 

He subdued the American with 14 aces and had 51 winners.

"I'm trying my best and hopefully it's going to be enough at some point in my career," he said.

The German last played Fritz in July and the American sent him packing from Wimbledon in a five-set, fourth-round thriller.

Zverev promised a "tough battle" this time around.

"I am expecting a tough battle," said the 27-year-old."Every time I play Taylor it is a tough battle and I am expecting nothing less and hopefully it will be entertaining."

Fritz outguns Ruud

Taylor Fritz overcame a sluggish start to ultimately dominate eighth seed Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarter-finals for the second straight year.

Ruud was sharp at the outset, breaking for a 5-3 lead before grabbing the first set with a love hold.

But the American began to make inroads against Ruud's serve in the second and finally converted a break when the Norwegian, who had been using a towel to wipe up his own sweat from the court on a humid day in New York, double faulted on set point to level the match.

Ruud changed into dry clothes and shoes before the third but never regained his form.

He produced a horrendous service game that ended with him dumping a backhand into the net to fall 2-0 behind in the third and Fritz, seeded 12th, captured the set with an ace.

Fritz kept his foot on the gas in the fourth, hammering his 24th ace on match point to set up a quarter-final meeting with German fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

"I just had to stay in it. He definitely outplayed me in the first set," Fritz said in an on-court interview.

"I did a really good job to fight in the beginning of the second and apply some scoreboard pressure.

"And then I felt his level dropped a little bit and it became a bit more playable for me. I was getting more looks at second serves and I was able to just get through it from there."

The victory is the first for Fritz in three meetings against Ruud, who came out on the winning side of a tight three setter at the ATP Finals in 2022 and at the French Open this year.

Last year Fritz fell in straight sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the quarters but will not have to face the Serbian 24-time Grand Slam champion this year after he was upset in the third round.

With Djokovic and third seed Carlos Alcaraz out of the draw, it would be tempting for Fritz to fantasize about lifting his first Grand Slam trophy but said he has learned the hard way not to get too far ahead of himself.

Tiafoe battles past Popyrin

American Frances Tiafoe reached the quarter-finals of the US Open for a third successive year on Sunday after beating Novak Djokovic's conqueror Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3.

Tiafoe is aiming to snap a 21-year US drought in the men's majors but he had to dig deep to hold off the hard-hitting Popyrin.

The Australian was fresh off the biggest win of his career after beating defending champion Djokovic in the third round and while he fired down 24 aces he also coughed up nine double faults and had some costly unforced errors.

Tiafoe next plays Bulgarian ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.

Dimitrov outlasts Rublev

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov dashed a furious comeback by sixth seed Andrey Rublev to reach the US Open quarter-finals for the first time since 2019 with a 6-3, 7-6(3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory earlier on Sunday.

The ninth seed won 80 percent of his first-serve points and fired 17 aces to frustrate the fiery Russian, who slammed his racket against the Arthur Ashe Stadium hard court and his own body, which resulted in a cut wrist that required medical attention during the first set.

The evenly matched bout swung the Bulgarian's way in the decisive fifth set to the delight of the New York crowd, which included Serena Williams sipping the event's signature honey deuce cocktail.

Rublev's frustration spilled over when he started the fourth game of the first set with two double faults, and he blasted a forehand into the net and another wide for Dimitrov's first break of the match.

Dimitrov looked to be in the driver's seat after he claimed the final five points of a second-set tie-break, only to see the Russian battle back to tie the bout by seizing the next two sets.

A fourth game break in the final frame gave Dimitrov an edge he would not surrender, setting up a quarter-final meeting with American Frances Tiafoe, who beat Australia's Alexei Popyrin, the conqueror of Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3.