The ‘next big thing’ tag seemed to weigh down quite heavily on Alexander Zverev as the 20-year-old German crashed out in the second round of the US Open, losing to 61st-ranked Borna Coric 6-3, 5-7, 6-7, 6-7.
With Andy Murray pulling out of the tournament, the German was the highest ranked seed in his half of the draw and had good chance to make it into the second week. But it is now all a case of what might of been, as the fourth seed made yet another early exit at a Major.
There were host of expectations from Zverev as he had been in impressive form coming into the final Grand Slam of the year. A fortnight ago, he outplayed Roger Federer to win the Rogers Cup, a week after winning the trophy in Washington. In 2017 alone, he has picked up two Masters titles, accumulating some staggering numbers along the way.
But he will now have to wait till January to repair his Grand Slam record, which is a long way away from causing a worry to the top seeds. Here’s what tennis followers on Twitter had to say after the first big upset in the men’s singles draw at Flushing Meadows.
Coric and Zverev have a rivalry that goes back to their days as junior players. The Croat looks to be on some run here:
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