Zverev Escapes Sonego in Five-Set US Open First-Round Marathon

Alexander Zverev survived a first-round scare at the US Open, defeating Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 after four hours and 52 minutes. The top-seeded German completed the comeback in the early hours of Wednesday and advanced to face Quentin Halys in the second round, according to Associated Press reporting published by The Guardian.

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The result kept Zverev from becoming the first No. 1 seed in the men's draw to lose in the opening round of a Grand Slam since Lleyton Hewitt fell to Ivo Karlovic at Wimbledon in 2003. No top-seeded man has exited in the first round of the US Open since Stefan Edberg was beaten by Alexander Volkov in 1990.

Sonego repeatedly resisted pressure on serve and forced Zverev to work for his opportunities. Zverev converted five of 22 break points, while Sonego's court coverage extended rallies and denied the German on shots that might ordinarily have ended points. Although Zverev had won all six of their previous meetings, the Italian pushed him deep into a deciding set.

The third set became a major turning point. Zverev broke when Sonego served for it at 5-4, then moved ahead 7-6 in the tiebreak after two powerful serves. Sonego captured the next two points before Zverev double-faulted to concede the set. In the fourth, the players traded breaks before Zverev held at 4-5 and broke for a 6-5 advantage, allowing him to force a fifth set.

Sonego had his hand or wrist assessed before the deciding set, though he continued to compete. Zverev secured the decisive break for a 3-2 lead and protected that advantage to finish the match. The victory improved his career record against Sonego to 7-0 and ended a contest that came close to producing a historic upset.

Zverev entered the tournament as the top seed at a major for the first time after Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a right knee injury. The German had won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open and then lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon final. After difficult results in his previous two tournaments, this demanding opening win gives him another match in New York.