Inspired Felix Auger-Aliassime knocks third seed Alexander Zverev out of US Open

If you were to ask multiple people who they thought was the greatest male player to never win a Grand Slam singles title, the chances are that Alexander Zverev would be mentioned frequently.

In recent years, the debate has heavily swung towards Zverev in that regard, with a major title the only thing missing from the German's collection.

Zverev's on-court accomplishments are undeniably impressive; he was the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, is a two-time ATP Finals and seven-time Masters 1000 champion, and has won a total of 24 ATP Tour titles.

Ranked third in the world, the 28-year-old is just one place off his career-high of world No 2 and, aside from his 2022 French Open injury and resulting comeback, has been a consistent force at the top for almost a decade.

However, the Grand Slam hurdle has remained, and Saturday's US Open third-round exit to Felix Auger-Aliassime suggests he won't be passing that any time soon.

Ranked 24 places below Zverev in the ATP Rankings, Auger-Aliassime has not reached a Grand Slam quarter-final since the 2022 Australian Open, and, before this year's US Open, had progressed to the second week of a Grand Slam on just three occasions since then.

The Canadian was a US Open semi-finalist back in 2021, though he had a disappointing 1-3 record at the event in the following three years.

Auger-Aliassime's talent and potential are undeniable, but he has struggled with consistency and reliability in recent seasons; this is a match in which Zverev was a pretty warm favourite to win.

But tennis matches are not done on paper, and after a strong start, the 28-year-old was ultimately outplayed by his younger rival in a 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4 defeat in New York.

"I had a tough start, but then after, like a bit nervous to be honest, even though I've faced these players at these situations," said Auger-Aliassime, post-match.

"I was just a bit nervous and then once that got away, I felt good, and it's nice because it just, it's been a work in progress and I feel like, you know, tonight everything came together very nicely and all the things I've been working on have paid off tonight."

It was undoubtedly one of the best wins of the 25-year-old's career, with the 25th seed likely to fancy his chances against 15th seed Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

However, there can be no denying that this was a missed opportunity for Zverev, and his dreams of winning a major title will now extend for another year.

The German had won six of his eight previous contests against Auger-Aliassime, though he looked short in confidence and match tactics as the match went away from him.

It is Zverev's earliest US Open exit since 2018 - he was absent in 2022 due to injury - and continues a worrying dip in Grand Slam form.

He was a finalist at both the 2024 US Open and 2025 Australian Open in recent months, though a Roland Garros quarter-final exit in 2025 was the first time since 2022 he'd failed to make the last four at the tournament.

That was followed by his first Grand Slam round-one exit in six years at Wimbledon, before his latest early major exit in New York.

Zverev, of course, was also a US Open finalist back in 2020, serving for the match before a five-set defeat to Dominic Thiem.

It is perhaps unwise to dwell on 'what ifs' in sport, but you cannot help but wonder how different Zverev's career trajectory could have been had he managed to close that out.

The German would have been a Grand Slam champion aged 23, and would not have faced the same mental hurdles on court - or the same repeated questions off court - had that been the case.

In reality, Zverev turns 29 next April, and history is arguably not on his side.

Only five men in the Open Era have won a first major singles title older than the age Zverev will be at the 2026 Australian Open, and only four were older than 29, Zverev's age at next year's Roland Garros.

The third seed's exit firmly opens the door for another Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz triumph in New York, in what would be an eighth straight major between the two.

Aged 24 and 22, Sinner and Alcaraz have the time on their side that Zverev does not at this point, and, while pressure still sits heavily on their shoulders, it is perhaps less intense than the expectation on a player looking to win his first major.

Eventually, someone will challenge their duopoly, but it looks unlikely Zverev will be the man to do so.

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