Entering the North American outdoor hard summer season, Alexander Zverev has had a significant impact on men's tour, especially after he went on winning two titles in a row. Being triumphant in Washington to Kevin Anderson and then in Montreal against Roger Federer, the 20-year-old German has put himself in the upper drawer of men's tennis. But. his impressive winning streak on North American cement had to come to an end. Whether it was the fatigue, a certain lack of focus or just a small part of a bigger strategy that includes the upcoming UP Open and his chances there, Zverev fell short against Frances Tiafoe, a 19-year-old NextGen tennis star currently ranked 87th in the world.
Thus, Zverev will have nearly two weeks ahead to recharge his batteries before taking his chances in at US Open in New York.
Frances Tiafoe deserves all the credits for turning the table the other way around
Entering the match, Zverev seemed to have the upper hand on Tiafoe as he was leading by 2-0 in head to head stats with their both previous ATP match-ups won by the German earlier this year at the Australian Open (round of 64) and Wimbledon, also in the second round. And the third time things were on the same path, at least after the first half an hour. Clinching the opening set, Zverev had a meltdown at the start of the second losing twice his serve. Getting his teeth into the match, Tiafoe started to climb up what initially seemed an impenetrable wall.
Winning the second set by 6-3, the 19-year-old saw himself getting closer to score the first top 10 win of his career. Despite losing his serve in the first game of the decider, Frances immediately bounced back and kept on pressing hard on his opponent. In the end, Zverev's fortress was conquered as the German saw his winning streak stopped.
Ranked seventh in the world, the German can hope for the best at US Open. The absences of Djokovic and Wawrinka will give him a top seed status and the future looks bright for him. On the other side, Frances Tiafoe can use this win and an apparently easier draw to aim for the top 50. Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati puts a huge load of ranking points at stake.
Tiafoe will face John Isner next
In order to book himself a spot in the quarterfinals of this Masters 1000 event, Frances Taifoe will have to produce another outstanding deal of tennis as John Isner will stand at the other end of the court. The big American server and Tiafoe met only once in the past. It occurred at 2016 US Open, in the round of 128 with Tiafoe losing the match despite winning the first two sets. If he gets past Isner, he will face either Nikoloz Basilashvili (65 ATP) or Jared Donaldson (60 ATP). So, anything is now possible for the 19-year-old. If he'll make it to the semis, he will see his ranking soaring inside the top 50 for the very first time.
