New York (AFP)

In his hand against the Italian Jannik Sinner (16th), Alexander Zverev, 4th in the world, reached without a hitch Monday the quarter-finals of the US Open, where Novak Djokovic, in search of a historic Grand Slam calendar, will try do the same in the evening.

The 24-year-old German, Djokovic's main competitor on the road to the final at Flushing Meadows, won 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) in 2:25.

If he had to drop a set in the previous round against the American slugger Jack Sock, this time he had less difficulty to win against an opponent not demerit, but simply a tone below in key moments .

"It was a very high level game from start to finish, a lot of hard knocks. I'm happy to qualify, we'll see where it takes me," Zverev commented afterwards.

In the next round, he will face the American Reilly Opelka (24th) or the South African Lloyd Harris (46th).

Imperial on his service in the first set (6 aces, 17 in total), the Tokyo Olympic champion was opportunistic to break and pocket the first set.

He did the same in the next, a little more challenged by Sinner who saved four balls.

But the Italian, a Miami Masters 1000 finalist, who had never passed the first round at the US Open, cracked on the fifth with a completely wooded high end.

- Zverev knew what to do -

Zverev met more resistance than in the third set.

After having broken Sinner at 3-1, he saw his opponent return the favor, supported by the public of Arthur Ashe always fond of seeing an outsider tickle a favorite in a game that lasts.

The 20-year-old Italian had no less than five set points, two at 5-4, then three more in the tie-breaker, but when he didn't make new big mistakes it was the German who came out big winning serves and long line setbacks.

One of his favorite moves.

"Confident players know what to do in these situations. I am happy to have come out of it in three dry sets," he said, confident that this state of mind has become singularly solid. in recent months ", a reference to his Olympic title won in Tokyo, where he had in the process eliminated Djokovic in the semi-finals.

The latter will play him in the night session against the American with the whimsical game, Jenson Brooksby (99th), 20 years old and a neophyte at this stage.

A fourth step, well within his reach, towards history, if he succeeded in the Grand Slam in the same year, a feat that has not been achieved for 52 years and Rod Laver.

- Solid Bencic -

The legendary Australian is also in this very closed club for two reasons, since he had also succeeded in the calendar Grand Slam in 1962, after the pioneer Donald Budge (1938).

If he wins his 4th US Open, Djokovic will also be able to stand alone at the top of the Tennis Hall of Fame, taking the record to 21 major coronations.

Enough to make him the "GOAT" (The Greatest of All Time), the best player of all time.

Earlier, among the women, Belinda Bencic (12th) qualified for the quarterfinals, beating 7-6 (14/12), 6-3, the Polish Iga Swiatek (8th).

The Swiss Belinda Bencic after her victory against Iga Swiatek in the round of 16 of the US Open, September 6, 2021 in New York Kena Betancur AFP

The tipping point of the meeting was the winning of the first set in the tie-break, hotly contested since it was 23 minutes long, during which the 24-year-old Swiss, Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo this summer, ended up doing the difference, on his fifth decisive ball.

Bencic, semi-finalist in New York in 2019, will try to reach this stage once again.

But he will first have to beat the American Shelby Rogers (43rd), who created a surprise in the previous round by eliminating the world No.1 Ashleigh Barty, or the young Briton of 18 years Emma Raducanu (150th), from the qualifications.

© 2021 AFP