Alexander Zverev spent nine hours and 26 minutes on court in his first two matches. Luciano Darderi is the last man to beat him from a set down.

The top seed and reigning French Open champion has reached the semi-finals of every Grand Slam this year and won 16 of his last 17 matches at majors.

The one he didn't win isn't the concern. The concern is Rome in May, when Darderi took a 6-1 first set on the chin, saved four match points in a second-set tiebreak and won the decider 6-0.

Before we get to the full preview, the key details:

Competition: US Open, men's singles fourth round

Venue: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York

Date: Tuesday 8 September 2026 (Monday in New York)

Start Time: day session from 2:00am AEST, night session from 9:00am AEST, check the order of play for the slot

Our Pick

Our Pick:  Alexander Zverev to win

Value bet: Zverev to win 3-1 in set betting

Long shot: Darderi to win first set

Zverev Finally Had an Easy Night

Lorenzo Sonego was two points from beating him in the first round. Quentin Halys took him to a fifth set in the second. Both were late-night five-setters, and by Saturday the question was how much Zverev had left.

The answer was plenty: 6-2 7-6(2) 6-2 over Alejandro Tabilo in two hours and 26 minutes, with the only wobble a second set where he gave back a break and saved two set points.

The bigger picture is a 49-13 season, 20-7 on hard courts, a first major title in Paris where he beat Flavio Cobolli in five, and a 31-10 career record at Flushing Meadows including the 2020 final. He hasn't lost before the semi-finals of a Grand Slam this year and the draw has opened up in front of him.

Darderi Is Here for the First Time, and He's Earned It

The 21st seed had never been past the third round in New York. He's beaten Harry Wendelken and Dalibor Svrcina in four sets and Dane Sweeny in three, and he arrived off a quarter-final at the National Bank Open in Montreal, which is the best hard-court result of his career.

His 2026 has been uneven: a fourth round in Melbourne, then a second-round exit at Roland Garros and a first-round loss at Wimbledon. On hard courts this year he's 11-8.

The Rome match is what keeps this interesting. Darderi doesn't have the serve to hurt Zverev, but he returns second serves better than the German does, and when Zverev's first serve percentage drops he becomes beatable from the baseline. That is exactly how Rome went.

Sets and Games Carry the Value Here

Match betting on the favourite is the pick, and with Zverev priced as short as he is, the more useful markets are set betting and total games.

Zverev has dropped a set in two of his three matches here, Darderi has needed four sets twice, and the first meeting between them in Rome went to a tiebreak even in a straight-sets Zverev win. A four-set Zverev win or the over on games are the plays if you want more than a short price.

Ace markets favour Zverev at the higher lines, and the first-set correct-score market suits a fast Zverev start given how his last two matches opened. For the latest Zverev vs Darderi odds and markets, check out the dedicated odds page at Sportsbet.

Zverev vs Darderi Prediction

Zverev in four. He's fresher than he was a week ago, the Tabilo match showed his level is intact, and he's playing for a semi-final at every major this year and a shot at a second Slam.

Darderi will take a set, probably the second, because that's what he's done in Rome and what Zverev's opponents have done all fortnight. Then the serve takes over. Zverev 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4.