US Open the tennis professionals: At the age of 35: Struff, surprises again with the US Open

The question of Jan-Lennard Struff after the surprising third round in the US Open was thought as a compliment. But she also alluded to his age – and the 35 -year -old tennis routiner felled. On the pitch, an interviewer confronted him with the fact that he was now the oldest German tennis professional who defeated a top 20 player at a Grand Slam tournament. “So you want to tell me that I’m old?” Replied Struff. “I am happy to play such tennis.”

His gripping 7: 6 (7: 5), 2: 6, 6: 3, 4: 6, 7: 5 against the Danish world ranking eleventh Holger Rune was one of his biggest victories this year. But that shouldn’t be over in New York. There is even more, the qualified.

From almost in qualifying into the second week?

On Friday, the Sauerländer plays against the American Frances Tiafoe – and probably a larger part of the New York audience – to reach the round of 16. With another surprise, he can equalize his best Grand slam result in a very complicated year in sport.

“Sometimes crazy,” said Struff. “Everything is very close together.” After all, the tournament would almost have expired without it. In the second of three qualifications rounds, the Warsteiner was already out of the end. The rain saved him, the game was postponed to the next day and Struff was able to turn the match.

Against Rune, Struff, who had also moved into the third round in Wimbledon, succeeded his first victory against a top 20 player this year. He also confirmed his own thesis that the performance density would become increasingly “blatant”. In the summer of 2023 he had sniffed to climb into the top 20. At the moment it has been passed through to 144th in the world rankings and therefore has to struggle through qualifications at a tournament like the US Open.

Boris Becker is enthusiastic about Struff

Again and again the Davis Cup player had to put on setbacks and early defeats this season. The match against Rune developed on Court 17, the fourth largest place in the facility, into one up and down. After the first round in the tie -break, he could not hold his level, made the second set clearly.

A break almost made it possible for him to present him with one sentence. Then he even led again in the fourth section, but then subsided with his own serve. So the fifth set and there had to bring the late break to 6: 5 for his first top 20 success this year. Struff denied the Danes Rune with a fighting spirit, passion and courage for the aggressive game.

“Sagenic,” praised Boris Becker tennis icon, once a short-term coach of Rune, as an expert at Sporteurope.tv. He admires struffs “cold -ceiling”: “He is convinced of himself”. A remarkable statement in a sporting crisis year.

A highlight game is waiting against Tiafoe

After the transformed match ball, Cool had only handed his hand to fist. It was only after the handbeat with the opponent that he put a little leap, knocked on his chest. Later in a small press round, he did not radiate enthusiasm, but already looked sober again.

It had the “crazy and incredible atmosphere” on the court against Rune. The extroverted Tiafoe is a world rankings 17., US Open semi-finalist from 2022 and 2024 and a rousing crowd favorite. It should be even more atmospheric.

“Holger (rune) today pulled the audience a bit on his side after he came back. I had to show the audience in the fifth: I am still taking care of it,” said Struff. “I think that will not work against Frances.”

Struff won only one of three previous games against the American. Struff still finds the defeat in the tiebreak drama after a missed match ball in the “Madness Final” in Stuttgart in 2023. And yet he now pushed after: “Let’s go.”