US OPEN

September 8, 2026

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/L. Darderi

6-2, 6-2, 7-6

Q. Sascha, congratulations. How would you sum up the performance tonight, especially after the two five sets, difficult wins earlier in the tournament?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Good. I think I'm going in the right direction, moving forward in the right direction. I felt like Luciano played an almost perfect set in the third set, and I still won the set, which is an amazing sign for me. I hope to continue this way.

Q. After those two long five-set battles in the first and second round, was there anything you changed in how you approached the last two matches that you've been able to get done more efficiently?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think after ten hours on court, I just maybe found my rhythm a little bit better, which is helpful because the first two matches were really not great level, especially the second round. I'm happy that there is improvements.

Q. Going into the quarterfinal it will be Botic van de Zandschulp for you next, who had a 5 hour, 13 minute battle today on Grandstand, so he'll come into that with some hours in the legs. I don't think you've met before on tour, so it's a first-time matchup. What do you know about him?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think he's an impressive player. I think this might be his favorite tournament in the world, because I think he made a few quarterfinal here's before.

Obviously he knows how to play well on these courts, and I look forward to having a tough battle.