US Open ATP Day Seven Round-Up | Alexander Zverev marches on as Fritz and Cobolli suffer stunning exits

Day seven of the US Open produced two major comebacks, with Francisco Cerundolo recovering from two sets down to eliminate Taylor Fritz in a dramatic five-set battle. Fritz appeared firmly in control after taking the opening two sets and even carried a break advantage into the third, but Cerundolo gradually turned the match around before completing a remarkable comeback to reach the next round.

Alexander Blockx also produced one of the biggest surprises of the day, recovering from a first-set tiebreak loss to defeat sixth-seeded Flavio Cobolli in four sets. Luciano Darderi, meanwhile, continued his impressive Grand Slam campaign with a commanding victory over wildcard Dane Sweeny, while Alexander Zverev avoided an upset against Alejandro Tabilo and advanced in straight sets after another strong serving display.

Taylor Fritz appeared to have the match firmly under control after taking the first two sets and then opening the third with another break of serve. The American was effectively one set away from the fourth round and had given Cerundolo very little reason to believe a comeback was possible. Fritz had dictated the early exchanges with his serve and aggressive first-strike tennis, while Cerundolo struggled to disrupt his rhythm.

Everything changed from that point. Cerundolo began finding much greater consistency from the baseline, extending rallies and forcing Fritz to play more uncomfortable points rather than allowing him to finish exchanges on his terms. The Argentine immediately recovered the break and grew in confidence as Fritz's level began to drop. Cerundolo took the third set 6-3 before continuing to apply pressure in the fourth, eventually levelling the match and sending Fritz into a deciding set.

The momentum was now entirely with Cerundolo, and Fritz could not find a way to stop it. The Argentine remained aggressive without taking unnecessary risks, while the pressure of protecting the advantage became increasingly evident on the American's side. Cerundolo completed the extraordinary turnaround by winning the fifth set 6-4, becoming the latest player to overturn a two-set deficit and sending the 2024 finalist out of the US Open in one of the biggest collapses of the tournament so far.

Cobolli appeared to have taken control after winning a tight opening-set tiebreak, but Blockx steadily grew into the match and eventually produced a stunning collapse of the Italian's challenge. After an evenly contested start to the second set, the Belgian became increasingly solid on serve while creating pressure on Cobolli's delivery. At 3-3, Cobolli had failed to win a return point, while Blockx had already created several break opportunities.

Blockx eventually broke the deadlock and went on to win four consecutive games to take the second set 6-3. The momentum then became overwhelming, as the Belgian won the next seven games to build an 11-game winning streak. He dominated the third set, winning 24 of 28 points, and although Cobolli managed to stop the run early in the fourth, Blockx never allowed him back into the contest. He closed out the victory 6-3 and finished the match having won 17 of the final 20 games.

Luciano Darderi continued his impressive run at the US Open with a commanding straight-sets victory over wildcard Dane Sweeny. The Italian never looked in serious trouble across the three sets, establishing an early advantage each time and then using his serve and aggressive baseline game to keep his opponent from building any sustained momentum. Darderi was particularly effective behind his first serve, winning 72% of those points compared with just 54% for Sweeny.

Sweeny did manage to find occasional openings, breaking Darderi twice during the match, but the Italian responded quickly whenever his opponent threatened to gain momentum. Darderi converted six break opportunities of his own and consistently made the most of the chances that came his way, allowing him to maintain control even when Sweeny managed to disrupt his service rhythm.

The victory is another important step in what is becoming Darderi's best Grand Slam campaign. The Italian reaches the fourth round of a major for only the second time in his career, but this is his first appearance in the second week at the US Open. His reward is a much tougher test against top seed Alexander Zverev, who enters the clash after a convincing straight-sets victory over Alejandro Tabilo.

Alexander Zverev continued his push at the US Open with a convincing straight-sets victory over world No. 28 Alejandro Tabilo, although the German had to navigate a much tighter second set before closing out the match. Zverev immediately established his authority, breaking twice to race into a 4-0 lead and eventually taking the opening set 6-2. His serve then remained a major weapon as he looked to prevent Tabilo from finding any rhythm.

The Chilean did manage to turn the second set into a genuine contest, recovering from 2-4 down by winning three consecutive games to move ahead. Zverev then faced his biggest moment of pressure at 4-5, when he fell 15-40 behind on serve, but the first seed remained composed and saved both break points. He later had the chance to serve for the set at 6-5, only for Tabilo to break back and force a tiebreak. Zverev responded strongly in the breaker, however, taking it to move within one set of victory.

That proved to be the decisive blow. Tabilo struggled to create another opening in the third set, and after the players exchanged holds until 2-2, Zverev raised his level at exactly the right moment by winning four consecutive games to close out the victory. The German now moves into the fourth round with another strong performance behind him and will face Luciano Darderi, who reached the same stage after comfortably defeating Dane Sweeny.

Learner Tien secured another impressive victory at the US Open by coming back from two sets to one down to defeat Jakub Mensik in a five-set battle. Mensik made the stronger start, taking the first break and moving ahead 3-1, but Tien quickly settled into the contest and produced a run of five consecutive games to turn the opener around.

The American then carried that momentum into the second set, breaking early, although Mensik responded with six straight games to regain control. Tien's first-serve numbers dipped badly in the set, winning just 42% of those points, while Mensik's powerful delivery continued to give him an advantage.

Mensik then produced his best serving performance in the third set, conceding only three points on serve and forcing another tiebreak. Tien was now in a difficult position, particularly after Mensik took the first break of the fourth set to move closer to victory. The Czech only needed to protect his advantage, but Tien refused to let the match go, winning six of the next seven games to force a decider and completely shift the momentum once again.

With the home crowd firmly behind him, Tien kept applying pressure in the fifth set and survived a major scare when he faced 0-40 on serve midway through the set. He eventually earned his opportunity at the perfect moment, breaking Mensik when the Czech was serving at 4-5 to complete the comeback. Tien now has a major opportunity to go deep into the draw, with Karen Khachanov his next opponent and no other top-25 player standing between him and a potential semifinal.