Peter Gojowczyk sneaked off the pitch after he missed the next bang at the US Open, bitterly disappointed.
Despite a great fight, the qualifier was defeated by the Spanish top talent Carlos Alcaraz 7: 5, 1: 6, 7: 5, 2: 6, 0: 6 and missed his first quarter-finals in a major in New York.
Until this week, the 32-year-old from Munich had never survived the second round of one of the four biggest tournaments.
And so Gojowczyk can start the journey home with a smile despite the loss of the last 16 on Sunday evening (local time).
Alcaraz had problems with Gojowczyk's power tennis for a long time and was still unbeatable.
The Spaniard had caused a sensation against top star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round and now also switched to the world number 141.
the end.
More round of 16
This Monday, Germany's number one Alexander Zverev and Cologne's Oscar Otte against the strong Italians Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini still have the chance to make it to the quarter-finals.
"Against Sinner it will definitely be a challenge," said Zverev, who is aiming for his first Grand Slam title after Olympic gold in New York.
Otte, who, like Gojowczyk, started as a qualifier in New York, remains brave: "I will definitely calculate my chances."
Kerber is eliminated in the second round
Angelique Kerber's dream of a fourth Grand Slam triumph also ended at the US Open.
The 2016 tournament winner lost against 18-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6: 4, 6: 7 (5: 7), 2: 6.
The left-hander from Montreal had completely surprisingly eliminated defending champion Naomi Osaka from Japan in the third round and now tore the victory from Kerber's hands in front of an excited audience.
The German number one had hoped for a longer stay.
"I gave everything I had," said Kerber: "She made one of the best matches of her career and it was two or three points that made the difference."