US Open: Alexander Zverev through after Jack Sock retires with injury

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev advanced to the fourth round of the USOpen on Saturday (September 4), when Jack Sock retired with a thigh injury trailing 3-6 6-2 6-3 2-1.

Zverev had looked to be headed for a long night against the big-hitting Sock, who convincingly won the opening set, but instead outlasted the American who refused to wave the white flag until broken in the fourth knowing there was no way back.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd had barely had a chance to catch their breath after Shelby Rogers's shock upset of world number one Ash Barty as Sock got the party started again taking the opening set from a flat-footed Zverev with a barrage of big serves and thundering forehands.

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But the atmosphere quickly turned serious after Zverev held serve to open the second set and Sock called for the trainer who immediately went to work on his right thigh and groin.

With Sock hobbling Zverev stepped up his attack rolling through the second set with little resistance.

Sock, however, would not quit, continuing to the third and grimly holding the German at bay until he finally broke through with a break to get in front 5-3.

Determined to finish the contest, Sock pressed on into the fourth but after being broken 2-1 he lay on the court clutching at his thigh, then got to his feet and called it a match.

"If Jack had continued playing the way he was playing in the first set, I would've been done in an hour and a half, I would've planned my holidays, would've had a good time next week somewhere in the South of France," said Zverev.

"I think everybody saw that Jack was really struggling physically and ... you have to keep your focus.

"I mean at the end of the day we're all competitors, and we have to bring the match to the end."

"I know how he feels a little bit because I have a brother as well who was struggling with injuries throughout his whole career and once he's playing that level of tennis to get injured again is a very tough feeling.

"So to be honest, I feel very sorry for him. I hope it's nothing serious, and I hope he'll be back on Tour very soon."

South African Lloyd Harris reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time on Saturday with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory over Canadian world number 10 Denis Shapovalov at the U.S. Open.

The 22-year-old Shapovalov, seeded seventh at the hard court major this year, came into Saturday's match at the Louis Armstrong Stadium having lost his only previous meeting against Harris in March.

Since that Dubai meeting, the South African, 24, has made rapid strides in his career, defeating 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal in Washington last month and has climbed up to a career-best ranking of 46th.

On Saturday, Harris took his chances against an error-prone Shapovalov, the quarter-finalist last year at Flushing Meadows, breaking the left-hander's serve five times to wrap up the match in two hours and 12 minutes and make the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.