In temperatures well over 30 degrees, Alexander Zverev completed his second mandatory task at the US Open with ease. A German player surprisingly made it to the third round.
Alexander Zverev wiped the sweat from his face as he celebrated, while Jule Niemeier quickly went into the ice bath. The two German tennis pros successfully passed their heat tests at the US Open and reached the third round without losing a set. Tokyo Olympic champion Zverev had to fight hard in the first two sets of his 6:4, 7:6 (7:5), 6:1 match against French outsider Alexandre Müller, but ultimately prevailed clearly thanks to his stronger physique.
“He played great tennis, especially at the end of the second set he was the better player,” Zverev praised his opponent. “The conditions are really difficult, it’s quite hot today. So I’m glad I got through.”
Zverev with fighting spirit in the tiebreak
Unlike his opening match against Davis Cup teammate Maximilian Marterer, Zverev avoided an exhausting fourth set in temperatures of over 30 degrees at the Grand Slam tournament in New York. In the tiebreak of the second set, Zverev fought back from a 2:5 deficit and won five points in a row.
The 27-year-old will now face Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the round of the best 32, who defeated fellow countryman Francisco Cerundolo in five sets.
Zverev played in the Louis Armstrong Stadium, where it was a little cooler than on the outdoor courts due to the shade and a little wind. There, Niemeier had previously fought against the midday sun of New York with ice packs on her head. For the first time in two years, the Dortmund tennis player reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament. The 25-year-old beat Moyuka Uchijima from Japan 6:4, 6:0.
“It’s something special to be in the third round,” Niemeier enthused. “It was extremely important to be there right at the start of the second set and to continue playing offensively.”
Overcoming career lows
In temperatures of up to 34 degrees, Niemeier was dominant from the start and defeated the Japanese, who had previously beaten Tamara Korpatsch. Niemeier will now face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen from China. Her good friend Eva Lys, on the other hand, missed out on a place in the second round with a narrow 2:6, 6:1, 5:7 defeat to Czech Marie Bouzkova.
Niemeier sensationally reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2022 and was among the top 16 at the US Open. However, she then hit a low point and fell to world ranking 175. This season, things are looking up again; Niemeier is currently ranked 101st in the world and will be back in the top 100 after the US Open. “It wasn’t easy, it’s a nice feeling that we stuck with it,” she said. “I have a team that has always believed in me. It’s nice that I can pay them back now.”
Niemeier on change: “A completely different player”
“I am a completely different player, a completely different person,” is how Niemeier describes her transformation since her promotion two years ago. “I have become more mature as a player and as a person.” She understands the game of tennis “completely differently now” thanks to Michael Geserer – her manager has also been her main coach since the end of last year.
Niemeier dictated the pace of the match, and most of the points were decided either by her winning shots or mistakes. When the score was 4:3, she had ointment and tape applied to her left foot to treat blisters.
With a slight backhand error from Uchijima, Niemeier won her opponent’s serve and thus the first set after 61 minutes. The Japanese player’s resistance was largely broken. After a long break at the change of ends, Niemeier won six games in a row in quick succession. With the second match point, the Borussia Dortmund fan secured 215,000 US dollars for his place in the third round after 96 minutes.
Source: Stern
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