Top seed Alexander Zverev needed four hours and 52 minutes to subdue a gutsy Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 in a pulsating US Open first-round clash that finished in the early hours of Wednesday morning at Flushing Meadows.
The German, contesting his first Grand Slam as the world's top-ranked player following Jannik Sinner's withdrawal with a right knee injury, was on the brink of becoming the first men's No. 1 seed to lose in the opening round of a major since Lleyton Hewitt fell to Ivo Karlovic at Wimbledon in 2003. At the US Open specifically, it would have been the first such upset since Stefan Edberg's loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990.
A Night of Missed Opportunities
Zverev converted just five of 22 break-point opportunities across the match, a stat that encapsulated his frustration for much of the evening. After taking the opening set 6-4 — despite converting only one of seven early break chances — the 28-year-old watched Sonego shift the momentum entirely in the second set.
The Italian world No. 89 broke early and served out to love, sealing the set with an ace that ignited the sparse late-night crowd. Sonego's speed around the court allowed him to track down balls that on other nights would have been clean winners, and his clutch serving kept Zverev at bay throughout.
Tiebreak Heartbreak
The third set was a tense, back-and-forth affair that went to a tiebreak. Zverev appeared in control at 7-6 after landing consecutive serves of 133mph and 141mph, but Sonego won the next two points and Zverev double-faulted to hand the set to the Italian 9-7.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern of traded breaks. Zverev broke for a 3-2 lead, only for Sonego to race from corner to corner to break straight back. Sonego then came within two points of the upset before Zverev found a crucial hold and broke serve to force a deciding set.
Zverev's Relief
With Sonego finally running out of steam, Zverev completed the turnaround in the fifth set. "Nearly five hours for a first round, I think this is the longest first-round match I've ever played in my life," Zverev said afterwards. "So, credit to him. He played amazing tennis today, would have beaten a lot of players for sure, but I'm happy to be through."
The result keeps alive Zverev's bid to add a US Open title to the French Open crown he claimed in June, and the Wimbledon final appearance he made against Sinner in July. He now holds a 7-0 career record against Sonego, though the Italian pushed him closer than that statistic would suggest.
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/02/alexander-zverev-survives-near-five-hour-marathon-us-open-tennis
- https://www.flashscore.co.uk/news/tennis-us-open-atp-singles-zverev-survives-sonego-first-round-marathon-to-progress-at-us-open/h8xg68ln/
