Alexander Zverev battles back from two-sets down for the first time in his career down to beat Pablo Carreno Busta in five and reach his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open
- Alexander Zverev made the biggest comeback of his career on Friday night
- He came back to beat Pablo Carreno Busta 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the US Open
- The 23-year-old German has reached the maiden Grand Slam final of his career
Alex Zverev reaped the rewards of the biggest comeback in his career to make his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
The 23 year-old German emerged from the pits of despair to defeat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in three hours and 23 minutes, the only time he has recovered from two sets down.
Having been hopelessly out of touch early on, especially with his wayward serve, his class finally showed against the world No 27, who ultimately never came close to victory.
Alexander Zverev celebrates after completing his five-set victory over Pablo Carreno Busta
The German has reached his first Grand Slam final after winning 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Alexander Zverev has reached his first ever Grand Slam final at this year’s US Open
‘I looked at the scoreboard after two sets and I couldn’t believe it, I was playing that bad,’ said No 5 seed Zverev.
‘I knew I had to come up with better tennis and play better. I’m through and that’s all that matters. I couldn’t be happier.
‘I wasn’t winning many second serve points, I had to change something and be more aggressive.’
He was awaiting the winner of the second match between Austria’s Dominic Thiem and last year’s runner-up, Daniil Medvedev.
Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta required medical attention ahead of the fifth and final set
Carreno Busta had sailed into a two-set lead as Zverev once again struggled on the big stage
The German fifth seed looked visibly frustrated as he collapsed in the opening exchanges
This was an ugly duckling of a match, rather like Zverev’s quarter final against Borna Coric.
His start was even slower this time, and after he had made 22 unforced errors in the second set you wondered if there would have been a crowd in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, even in normal times, it was that bad.
There had been signs that Carreno Busta could tighten up when it came to closing out the first two and he became more tentative in the third as Zverev tightened up his serve and stopped gift wrapping points.
His forehand improved, too, and the self-belief visibly drained form the hard-working Spaniard, who by the end seemed to be feeling the effects of his long quarter final against Denis Shapovalov.