"Felt like a Rocky movie" - Alexander Zverev's marathon win over Jannik Sinner in US Open 4R earns praise from Andre Agassi's ex-coach Brad Gilbert

Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner's riveting five-set battle in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open earned the praise of Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert.

Zverev advanced to his third quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows and his 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal overall after securing a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over the Italian. The four-hour and 41-minute long thriller, which ended at 1:39 am, set the record for the longest match and the latest finish at this year's US Open.

Zverev and Sinner engaged in a closely contested battle in the opening set, enduring six consecutive games which went to deuce before the German claimed a crucial break and took the lead in the match. Despite grappling with cramps in the second set, Sinner bounced back strongly to level the scores.

However, the 22-year-old's cramping issues worsened in the third set, allowing the former World No. 2 to win four games in a row and take the third set. Despite Sinner's resilient comeback in the fourth set, he was unable to maintain his momentum in the decider, enabling the German to secure victory and improve to 4-1 in their head-to-head record.

Following the riveting clash, Brad Gilbert took to social media and described the match as reminiscent of a Rocky film. He also lauded Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner's exceptional effort during the contest.

"The last two 2 hrs felt like a Rocky movie 2 guys giving absolutely everything Sin City and A2Z somehow gets it done @usopen," Gilbert posted.

"He's finding his top level again" - Carlos Alcaraz on Alexander Zverev ahead of US Open QF clash

Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to become the first man to defend his US Open title since Roger Federer in 2008. The 20-year-old inched closer to the historic title defense after defeating Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open.

Commenting on the possibility of facing Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals, the Spaniard acknowledged their competitive head-to-head record and declared that the German had regained his top form.

"Against Sascha, the head-to-head as well is really, really close. We've played great matches. He's playing really, really well. This year he's finding his top level again," Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference.

Alexander Zverev leads 3-2 in his head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz. Though the Spaniard won their most recent clash at the Madrid Open earlier this year, it was the German who came out on top in their sole Grand Slam clash in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open.