NEW YORK — The disqualification of Novak Djokovic from the US Open — and the absences of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — presented quite an opportunity to Alexander Zverev and the other men left in the tournament. All are in their 20s and seeking a first Grand Slam title.
Who would falter? Who would rise to the occasion? Done in by double faults and bothered by an officiating decision, Zverev stumbled at the start of Tuesday’s quarterfinal against Borna Coric. Then, suddenly, Zverev soared.
Down a set and a break early, then so close to trailing two sets to one, Zverev grabbed 14 of 15 points in a pivotal stretch on the way to earning his first semifinal berth at Flushing Meadows with a 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory over Coric.
“The Novak news shocked us all,” Zverev said, “and obviously for us younger guys, we see that as a massive opportunity. But we have to put our head down and do our job.”
It was a scratchy contest — both men generated more unforced errors than winners through two sets, and Zverev finished with 12 double faults — and the winner acknowledged afterward that the way he played at the outset was “not the level for the quarterfinal match in a Grand Slam.”
The 27th-seeded Coric’s take: “I felt like I was in charge of the match. I saw he was struggling, not playing his best tennis.”
But Zverev got more aggressive as things went on, including essentially hitting two first serves instead of a softer, slower second following a fault — and that helped lift him to his second consecutive major semifinal after getting that far at this year’s Australian Open.
“I don’t want to stop here,” the 6-foot-6 Zverev said.
Next for the 23-year-old from Germany will be the winner of Tuesday night’s quarterfinal between No. 12 Denis Shapovalov of Canada and No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.
Zverev has been considered an up-and-coming talent to watch for a few years but had never quite put it together at a Grand Slam tournament until this year.
And Tuesday, he was dealing with a lot.
There were his own double-fault demons — nothing new to him, but disconcerting all the same — that appeared just 10 minutes into the match, when a trio of those free points contributed to Coric breaking to lead 3-1.
There was his argument with chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore early in the second set about her decision to replay a point after an incorrect call robbed Zverev of a point.
There was his gripe with ESPN courtside commentator Brad Gilbert, whose reports on live TV in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center bothered Zverev enough that he told the former player and coach: “You’re talking too loud, man. … I can hear every single word you’re saying.”
There were all of Coric’s trips off the court to change out of his sweat-soaked clothes.
“Sometimes not playing your best, and finding a way is more important than playing your best,” Zverev said.
Most troubling of all: the holes in which Zverev kept finding himself.
The key juncture was with Zverev serving at 15-30 while down 6-5 in the third set. Two more points, and that set would belong to Coric.
But Zverev won the next three points with a backhand passing shot, an overhead and a 135 mph service winner to get to a tiebreaker, then dominated that, too, before opening the fourth set by holding at love.
“Huge point,” Zverev said. “But this is what I’ve been doing the past six months. I’ve been in the gym. I’ve been on the track. … This is the moment where it pays off.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.