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Alexander Zverev loses to Borna Coric, crashes out of US Open
Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios both crashed out of the US Open after disappointing defeats in the 2nd round.
German fourth seed Alexander Zverev, whose five ATP titles this year include a win over Roger Federer in this month’s Montreal final, fell to 61st-ranked Croatian Borna Coric 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/4) at the US Open on Wednesday.
“He had a most unbelievable year where he won basically everything,” Coric said. “It does mean a lot to me to win this match.”
Coric, who next faces South African Kevin Anderson for a spot in the last 16, was one point from being pushed to a fifth set before winning five in a row to take the 12th game of the final set.
“I was just thinking to keep the points shorter,” Coric said. “And yeah, I was a little bit lucky.”
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Zverev’s ouster left US 10th seed John Isner the top-ranked player in his draw quarter and Croatian fifth seed Marin Cilic, coming off a Wimbledon runner-up effort, the best in his half of the draw.
Cilic, the 2014 US Open winner, reached the third round by beating Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Kyrgios, the 14th seed and highest-ranked obstacle in Federer’s quarter-final path, hurt his right shoulder in a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 first-round loss to 235th-ranked Aussie John Millman.
“Early in the third set I hit one serve and I never felt the same after that,” Kyrgios said. “Something didn’t feel right in my arm.”
Kyrgios, 22, beat Rafael Nadal two weeks ago on the way to the biggest final of his career at the ATP Cincinnati Masters before falling to Grigor Dimitrov.
Kyrgios grabbed his right shoulder after a serve in the fourth game of the third set, telling a physiotherapist his woes during a medical timeout.
“One serve and arm is totally dead. It’s so dead and numb. It’s incredibly weak,” said Kyrgios.
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After his last available treatment, Kyrgios dropped eight of the last nine games to Millman, who missed nearly eight months with a hip injury.
“Nick’s shoulder deteriorated as the match went on,” Millman said after his first US Open triumph. “It’s a victory but slightly hollow.”
Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem finished off Aussie Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. Thiem is the highest-ranked rival to Federer and Nadal on their side of the draw.
“I’m not in the first row of favorites, maybe in the second, so I can play calm,” Thiem said.
