Alexander Zverev vs Quentin Halys — R64 — US Open

The first serve was the separator. Zverev landed 80 percent of his to Halys' 50 and struck 29 aces, cover enough for a return game that turned 20 break points into four. Halys, who had managed a single set in two prior meetings on record, was the cleaner man forward with 28 of 33 net points won, and he traded breaks through a third set that turned over four times — the 52nd-ranked qualifier ahead in game 4 for 3-1, pegged back when Zverev broke in game 7 for 3-4. Then his first serve went. In the decider he won 59 percent of first-serve points to Zverev's 81, and the break in game 5 for 3-2 was the last swing of a match he lost by ten points out of 354. Four hours and 33 minutes, and ten sets across two matches, to put the top seed in the third round.