Good afternoon. How about some tennis from the centre court at Flushing Meadows? We’ve got some tasty encounters coming up at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Day 8 of the 2021 US Open, beginning with Olympic champion Alexander Zverev’s clash with rising Italian star Jannik Sinner. The players are due on court from 17.00 BST.

GAME, SET AND MATCH! – ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 7-6 SINNER. Zverev corks a crosscourt backhand to hit back to 4-4 but then blows a sitter of a volley at the net. Sinner tees up two set points with a return winner off a 135mph serve but can’t make either count. Zverev saves one with a serve but gets lucky when his opponent misses a drive volley. A good serve clocks up a FIFTH set point overall for the Italian but Zverev finds huge serves to earn a match point. A miscue on the forehand from Sinner sees his hopes end 9-7 in the tie break and Zverev turns and shakes his finger at the crowd. He gets the job done in two hours and 25 minutes and will now meet Opelka or Harris in the last eight.

TB LATEST: It’s unravelling a bit for Zverev now. Sinner earns the mini break with a supreme return that is followed by a backhand error long from AZ. The German is second best in rallies right now and trails 4-2 at the change of ends.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 6-6 SINNER. Talk abut leaning on that serve! Sinner comes out all guns blazing, unloading a big, big forehand and following it up with a bamboozling drop shot. A 13th ace is followed by a 14th as Zverev wriggles out of double set point. It’s cagey stuff from deuce but the German hammers a backhand up the line to force the tie break.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 5-6 SINNER. Jannik retorts with his fifth ace of the match and it provides the platform for a fast hold to love. The pressure is back on Zverev’s shoulders now.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 5-5 SINNER. A 12th ace and a trio of huge first serves do all the heavy lifting. Sinner gets one look-in and shows he’s got the edge in the rallies at present with a stonking crosscourt forehand. It’s not enough this time though. All square with a potential tie break looming.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 4-5 SINNER. Jannik calls for the crowd to send some love his way as he comes good from 30-30. The Italian fizzes a sublime forehand winner to take control and assumes the lead in the set when Zverev can only fire an approach long.

BREAK! – ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 4-4 SINNER. And there you go! Zverev loses that authority on his serve as Sinner goes for broke. The German arrows a backhand down the line wide to give his opponent a glimmer of hope at 15-30. The No.13 seed then comes up with a beauty of a crosscourt return pass to snatch two break points. It leaves AZ feeling the heat and he splutters to a double fault to lose his advantage.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 4-3 SINNER. That’s the sort of quick-fire hold that makes you wonder if Zverev is already thinking he just needs two strong service games to get this done. He knows it’s his big weapon but serving out a match can get twitchy even for the very best.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 4-2 SINNER. In many ways that game is a microcosm of the match. Sinner unloads a wonderful return winner with real venom down the line but it’s just not enough. Zverev keeps him at arm’s bay despite a second double fault of the match and maintains his push for a straight sets win with a hold to 30.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 3-2 SINNER. That’s an important hold and an impressive one too. Zverev looks to have the bit between his teeth and eyes the insurance break at 0-30. Sinner turns on the after burners to avoid it, finding some tasty first serves to deny his opponent and stay in touch.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 3-1 SINNER. That was a serving masterclass. Zverev backs up the break with a flurry of cheap points to ease to a game to love.

BREAK! – ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 2-1 SINNER. It’s an early breakthrough! Zverev sizzles a stupendous backhand that clips the baseline in the far corner. It tees up double break point. Sinner rescues one when he gets a let on a first serve due to some Zverev chatter, but the German makes it count on the second with a rasping forehand return winner that lands in almost the same place as his earlier blockbuster.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 1-1 SINNER. One excellent return just isn’t going to get it done for Sinner. He can’t recreate the openings at the end of Set 2 and Zverev charges through with the aid of a 10th ace.

ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 0-1 SINNER. The two awful volleys may well have been playing on repeat in Sinner’s head during the sit-down between sets, but he comes out having hit the reset button and flies through a hold to 15.

SET! – ZVEREV 6-4 6-4 SINNER. It’s nervy from Zverev and bold from Sinner but the German prevails in the end. The Italian anticipates a huge first serve and engineers a fine return winner to tee up two break back points. Zverev plays steady and it’s the No.13 seed left ruing two errors on the forehand. Zverev double faults on his first set point but comes up with a 132mph second serve to clock up a second chance. Again, Sinner has the point on his racket but another dreadful volley racing into the net flies long and Sascha is one set from the last eight.

BREAK! – ZVEREV 6-4 5-4 SINNER. From frustration to pure joy! Zverev rants to himself as his backhand misfires and a 0-40 situation turns to deuce. Sinner saves a fourth break point with a big serve but then a horror-show with a volley at the net coughs up a fifth. Its such a sitter too. Typically, it’s the one that undoes him too as Zverev unloads a brilliant forehand to conclude a lung-busting rally. The No.4 seed will now serve for a two-set lead.

ZVEREV 6-4 4-4 SINNER. No danger for Sascha. His only blemish comes when he drills a crosscourt backhand into the net. The big serve does the rest. All square.

ZVEREV 6-4 3-4 SINNER. Plenty of fist pumps from Sinner as he strolls to his chair after clocking up an efficient hold. Neither player has really steeped up enough on the return and there have been too many short points lacking energy. It’s left the crowd struggling to truly engage with what is being fought out before them.