WHAT HAPPENED: Alexander Zverev had to wait to play his first-round match at the 2025 US Open. But once he stepped onto the court Tuesday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the German wasted little time.
Zverev beat Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-4, to wrap up an opening round that began with the tournament’s first-ever Sunday start. Aggressive from the baseline and brave in the biggest moments, Zverev fought off top-notch tennis at times from Tabilo to reach the US Open second round for the ninth time, moving to 9-1 in first-round play.
“It wasn't great at times to be very honest, but you know, I'm through, I won in straight sets, that’s the most important thing,” Zverev said. “There’s a lot to build still, there’s a lot to improve.”
Zverev broke to start the match and sprinted through the opening set. Tabilo settled in and held his own in the second, serving first and leading the entire way until the tiebreak. The left-hander even had a set point on Zverev’s racquet at 5-6, Ad-out, after blasting an inside-out forehand crosscourt winner.
But Zverev erased it with a service winner out wide and claimed the tiebreak at his first opportunity. In the third, Zverev broke in the tenth and final game, his third break of the match.
WHAT IT MEANS: Zverev avoided any first-round drama in the late-night match inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 6-foot-6 right-hander also did well to bounce back from his Wimbledon first-round loss to continue what has been a summer of progress.
The 28-year-old made back-to-back semifinals at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati. After his Wimbledon loss, Zverev opened up about feeling lonely and unhappy. But life is better these days: “Now I feel like it's going in the right direction again,” he said.
Next for Zverev is Brit Jacob Fearnley, who beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Zverev leads their head-to-head 2-0.
But ultimately, Zverev hopes what is next is his first major championship title. At the 2020 US Open, inside an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium, Zverev came within two points of winning a Grand Slam title but ultimately let slip a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem.
Zverev has had two other major final appearances, including at Roland Garros 2024 and the 2025 Australian Open.
“It's about going the final step. I love playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium. I think it's one of the most beautiful stadiums in the entire world, the biggest stadium for us in tennis,” Zverev said. “It's about winning the last point in those [finals] for me. I'm very hopeful I can do that this year.”
MATCH POINT: Zverev is the last player to have beaten Jannik Sinner at a hard-court major championship and owns a 4-3 head-to-head record against the Italian. Zverev beat Sinner in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open.
