Alexander Zverev survived one of the biggest scares of his US Open career on Tuesday night, fighting past Lorenzo Sonego in a gruelling five-set battle that ended at 1:55 a.m. local time.
The German, competing as the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, eventually defeated the World No. 89 Italian 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 after 4 hours and 53 minutes on court.
It was a far tougher opening round than Zverev would have expected, particularly given his perfect 6-0 record against Sonego before the match.
The 2024 Roland Garros champion looked close to an early exit when he trailed deep into the fourth set. Serving at 4-5, 30/30, Zverev was just two points away from defeat, but held his nerve to turn the match around.
Sonego produced an aggressive display throughout, regularly moving forward and attacking the net to disrupt Zverev's rhythm. His fearless approach kept the second seed under constant pressure and forced the German to work for every opening.
Zverev also struggled to find his best level early in the contest. Several forehand errors and a costly double fault in the third-set tie-break allowed Sonego to take control and move within one set of victory.
However, the German gradually found his rhythm as the match entered its decisive stages. His movement improved, his returns became more effective and he began putting greater pressure on Sonego's serve.
Zverev created 22 break-point opportunities and converted five of them, eventually completing the comeback in the deciding set.
“I’m just happy I won. That’s it,” Zverev said after the marathon encounter, describing it as an “incredible battle” and exactly the type of match he needed.
The victory became Zverev's second-longest Grand Slam match, behind only his 5-hour, 27-minute battle against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.
Having survived such a major test in the opening round, Zverev will now turn his attention to Quentin Halys in the second round. The German leads their head-to-head record 2-0, with both victories coming earlier this year.
Despite the difficult start in New York, Zverev arrived at the tournament in impressive form. He leads the tour with 47 match wins this season and has recorded 19 victories at Grand Slam level.
After being pushed to his limits by Sonego, Zverev will hope the hard-fought victory gives him the confidence and momentum to make a deeper run at the US Open.
