Reaching his second US Open quarter‑final, Van de Zandschulp will now face top‑seeded German Alexander Zverev.
At 29, Alexander Zverev concluded his match unusually before midnight in New York, defeating Italian 21st seed Luciano Darderi 6–2, 6–2, 7–6 (7–3) to advance to the quarter‑finals.
His prior three matches had ended at 1:55 a.m., 2:15 a.m. and 1:09 a.m.
“I don’t know what to do with myself because it’s before midnight—I might head back to the practice courts or hit a bar,” Zverev joked.
When asked if he wants to face Van de Zandschulp in Wednesday’s night session, the French Open champion replied, “I will definitely request a night match.”
“I’ve rented this court from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. for two weeks, so I hope they keep scheduling me at night,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Belgium’s Alexander Blockx revealed he was “really close” to retiring injured against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo before rallying to reach his first major quarter‑final.
Seeded 28th, Blockx fought through rib pain to win 6–3, 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, becoming the first Belgian man to reach the last eight in New York.
“It was really tough from the start of the match. I was struggling a lot, especially while serving. It kept getting worse throughout,” said the 21‑year‑old Blockx.
“I was really close to retiring, to be honest. I was just hanging in there, but if I would have lost the third set, I think the chances were really high of me retiring.” he added.
“I’m glad that I kept on playing.”
Assuming he is fit enough, Blockx will face Russian world No. 50 Karen Khachanov in the quarter‑finals on Wednesday.
Khachanov, 30, rallied to defeat 14th seed Learner Tien 7–5, 4–6, 6–7 (6–8), 6–1, 6–4, halting the American’s bid to place four home players in the quarter‑finals for the first time since 1995.
