What looked on paper like a quiet evening of Round 2 matches at the U.S. Open took a dramatic turn, with an avalanche of late upsets shaking up the tournament.
Alexander Zverev, the men’s fourth seed, was the first victim, followed not long after by men’s eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Caroline Wozniacki, the fifth seed in the women’s bracket.
Zverev, after the withdrawal just days before the Open began of No. 2 seed Andy Murray, was the highest seed in his side of the bracket. With 2016 U.S. Open finalists Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic also out, several experts expected Zverev, with two ATP Master events wins and a singles record of 47-15 this year, to seize the opportunity to claim his first Open title. Instead, he lost, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6 to Croatian Borna Coric at the Grandstand.
“I’ve been dealing with expectations from a very young age,” he said before adding the defeat was particularly upsetting given how enticing the draw was.
“I just played very, very bad in the second and third sets,” Zverev said.
“I think he got a little sloppy,” said Coric, who also beat Zverev in the 2013 Open juniors semifinals en route to a title. “Maybe he thought the game was already over.”
Playing in the final contest at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Tsonga fell to 18-year-old Denis Shapovalov of Canada, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6, in 2 hours and 12 minutes.
Afterward, Shapovalov rejected the notion his straight-set win was an easy road.
“I don’t think that win was any bit routine,” he said. “I played unbelievable today. Very high level.”
Shapovalov will meet Kyle Edmund in the next round — the same player he faced in the Davis Cup when he controversially hit umpire Arnaud Gabas. He is not taking the matchup lightly.
“It’s not going to be an easy third round,” Shapovalov said, “but I’m playing incredible tennis and I’m confident I can take it to him.”
After Wozniacki fell to 40th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova, 2-6, 7-6, 1-6, four of the top seven women (Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber and Johanna Konta are the others) have been eliminated.
Wozniacki and Makarova had met seven times in the past, with Wozniacki winning all seven matches. But not on upset night at the Open.