New York, Sept 3:
Top seed Alexander Zverev survived a major scare at the US Open, battling for nearly five hours before edging Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in a dramatic five-set first-round encounter.
Zverev prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in a match that stretched into Wednesday morning and threatened to produce one of the biggest first-round upsets in recent Grand Slam history.
The German was in danger of becoming the first men’s No. 1 seed to lose his opening match at a Grand Slam since Ivo Karlovic defeated Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003. At the US Open, the last such first-round exit by a top seed came when Stefan Edberg lost to Alexander Volkov in 1990.
Zverev struggled to convert his opportunities throughout the contest, managing only five successful breaks from 22 chances. Sonego’s speed and defensive ability repeatedly frustrated the German, while the Italian produced clutch serves at crucial moments.
The third set proved particularly dramatic. Zverev broke when Sonego was serving for the set at 5-4, but the Italian recovered in the tie-break. Zverev then led 7-6 after two powerful serves, only for Sonego to win the next two points before a double fault from Zverev handed him the set.
Zverev responded in the fourth set, breaking for a 3-2 advantage. Sonego immediately fought back, but the German eventually broke again late in the set to force a decider.
Sonego had a chance to seize control in the final set, but Zverev secured the crucial break for a 3-2 lead and held his nerve to close out the match.
The victory keeps alive Zverev’s campaign at the tournament where he is the top seed following Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal because of a right knee injury.
Zverev, the French Open champion and 2020 US Open runner-up, will face Quentin Halys in the second round.
The German admitted that the match was one of the longest first-round encounters of his career but credited Sonego for producing high-quality tennis throughout the contest.