Zverev Survives US Open Opener in 5-Set, 1:55 AM Thriller

A Number One Seed on the Brink

Arthur Ashe Stadium had been empty for hours when Alexander Zverev finally closed out Lorenzo Sonego at 1:55 AM on Wednesday morning. The scoreline — 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 — told the story of a top seed who stared into the abyss before clawing his way back. Four hours and 53 minutes, 22 break-point chances squandered, 39 unforced errors: statistically, it was far from the statement opener that Zverev, the newly crowned Roland Garros champion and US Open 2026 top seed, would have scripted.

Yet the German survived, and in doing so etched his name into a peculiar piece of Flushing Meadows history. It is only the second time since 1988 — when Ivan Lendl outlasted Amos Mansdorf — that a No. 1 seed has needed five sets to win his US Open first-round match. For a player arriving in New York as the man most likely to claim a second consecutive Grand Slam title, the night served as a sobering reminder that rankings respect no one on a tennis court.

Sonego's Finest Hour

Lorenzo Sonego arrived at Ashe having never beaten Zverev in seven previous meetings. On Tuesday night, the 89th-ranked Italian played the match of his career. He attacked with driven forehands, frustrated the German with perfectly timed lobs, and deployed a backhand slice that barely sat up off the surface. Zverev converted just 5 of his 22 break-point opportunities — a conversion rate of less than 23 percent — and when Sonego served at 5-4, 30-30 in the fourth set, just two points separated the Italian from completing one of the great US Open upsets of the modern era.

Zverev held his nerve. He saved that critical service game, immediately broke for 5-5, and eventually wore down Sonego in the fifth — securing a decisive break at 3-2 before holding to close out the match and stumble into round two. The quality was inconsistent, but the competitive instinct was undeniable.

The Honest Admission

"I'm happy that I won this kind of battle because this is exactly the match I needed," Zverev said on court in the early hours. "I struggled the last two tournaments — I didn't play well — and sometimes good things happen after you fight through one of these matches."

The admission was striking from the world's top-ranked player. Zverev acknowledged publicly that his form heading into the US Open — at the two Masters events that precede the Grand Slam — had fallen well short of his own standards. A first-seed label carries weight in the draw, but not on the scoreboard. The Sonego battle, for all its imperfections, may at least have unlocked something in a player who has previously cited emotional toughness as one of his defining traits.

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The historical context adds further weight to the escape. Had Zverev lost, it would have represented the most dramatic first-round exit by a top seed at a major in decades, eclipsing Lleyton Hewitt's shock 2003 defeat. Instead, he moves on — battered, but undefeated.

Halys Awaits in Round Two

Zverev's second-round opponent is Frenchman Quentin Halys, who advanced through his own first-round contest. Halys has developed into a genuine danger on hard courts and will relish the opportunity of facing the top seed in front of a New York crowd that loves an upset. Zverev will need sharper break-point conversion and greater control of his unforced error count to avoid another extended battle.

Whether Wednesday morning's war against Sonego drains or galvanises him remains the defining question heading into his next appearance on the Arthur Ashe main stage. His draw remains open enough to allow a deep run — but the US Open 2026 title will demand a very different level of tennis than what was on display Tuesday night.