Auger-Aliassime stuns Zverev in a late-night thriller

For three hours and 48 minutes on Saturday night, the third round of the US Open provided a master class in momentum swings and stubborn defiance. Under the lights of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 25 seed, delivered the biggest upset of the men’s tournament, defeating world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4.

The victory, arguably the greatest win ever by Auger-Aliassime in a Grand Slam, marks a monumental moment for a player who has shown flashes of brilliance but often struggled to find consistency against the game’s elite. For Zverev, who entered the night as a heavy favorite and had reached at least the semifinals in his last two US Open appearances, the loss was an early and disheartening end to his campaign.

Set point for Zverev in the second set

Zverev, a veteran of these late-night matches, started with the confidence of a three-time Grand Slam finalist. He was clinical, securing the first break and closing out the opening set 6-4. But Auger-Aliassime, who has been in peak form all week, refused to yield. In a tense second-set tiebreak, he saved a set point, unleashing a torrent of powerful groundstrokes before claiming it 9-7 to level the match. It was a crucial turning point, a moment that shattered Zverev’s rhythm and allowed the Canadian to seize control.

From that moment on, Auger-Aliassime’s serve was nearly unbreakable, a fortress of consistency that Zverev simply could not penetrate. The stats tell the story of a player in complete command: Auger-Aliassime hit 50 winners, delivered 10 aces, and won an impressive 78 percent of his first-serve points. While Zverev had his chances, converting only two of nine break-point opportunities, Auger-Aliassime was ruthless, breaking the German three times on six chances.

The win carries significant weight for the 24-year-old Auger-Aliassime. He entered the match with a 1-6 record against top-five players in Grand Slams, his sole victory coming in a five-set epic against a top-6 Zverev at Wimbledon in 2021. This performance proves that his previous Grand Slam semifinal run at the 2021 US Open was not an anomaly but a glimpse of his true potential. The victory is also a landmark for Canadian tennis, making him just the third Canadian man to earn a Top-3 win at a Grand Slam.

Auger-Aliassime – Rublev next

“This one feels very good,” Auger-Aliassime said after the win. “I’ve worked very hard to get here, and the job is still not done. But this one feels so great. I felt like the crowd was with me. There was a moment there in the second set where things could have gone either way, and I felt I was really able to step up and believe in myself. That’s what you have to do against a player of Sascha’s caliber. He’s one of the best in the world, and you can’t give him an inch. I’m just proud of the way I stayed mentally tough and found a way to win. It shows that I can play at this level, and I just need to keep bringing that every day.”

For Zverev, a man who has made the US Open his most successful major, the loss is a bitter pill to swallow. He came into the tournament seeking his first Grand Slam title and had a history of strong performances in New York, including his unforgettable run to the 2020 final where he lost to Dominic Thiem in a five-set thriller.

In the end, it was a tale of two players: one, Zverev, who fell short of expectations, and the other, Auger-Aliassime, who rose to the occasion. The Canadian will now face Andrey Rublev in the fourth round, a player he holds a lopsided losing record against. But with his current form and a newfound confidence, it’s a challenge he’s now more than ready to meet.

New York (Grand Slam), other third-round results (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, hard, USD 90.000.000, most recent results first):

• Alexander Bublik vs. Tommy Paul: sunday
• Alex De Minaur (8) beat Daniel Altmaier: 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4, 2-0 ret.
• Leandro Riedi (Q) beat Kamil Majchrzak: 5-3 ret.
• Andrey Rublev beat Chak Lam Coleman Wong (Q): 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
• Jannik Sinner (1) beat Denis Shapovalov (27): 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
• Jaume Munar beat Zizou Bergs: 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
• Lorenzo Musetti (10) beat Flavio Cobolli (24): 6-3, 6-2, 2-0 ret.
• Taylor Fritz (4) beat Jerome Kym (Q): 7-6 (3), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4
• Tomas Machac (21) beat Ugo Blanchet (Q): 7-5, 6-3, 6-1
• Novak Djokovic (7) beat Cameron Norrie: 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3
• Jan-Lennard Struff (Q) beat Frances Tiafoe (17): 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7)
• Adrian Mannarino beat Ben Shelton (6): 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 ret.
• Carlos Alcaraz (2) beat Luciano Darderi (32): 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
• Arthur Rinderknech beat Benjamin Bonzi: 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
• Jiri Lehecka (20) beat Raphael Collignon: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4