WHAT HAPPENED
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev escaped a valiant upset bid by the unseeded Lorenzo Sonego to prevail, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4, in 2026 US Open first-round action inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night.
Zverev, who captured his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year, continues his stellar season. But this triumph came with countless anxious moments, thanks to a monumental effort by Sonego, an Italian ranked No. 89 who was two points shy of winning the match in set four.
“Incredible battle, a lot of ups and downs, nearly five hours for a first-round match,’’ Zverev said. “I think this is the longest first-round match I’ve ever played in my life.”
On a wet Day 3 of main-draw singles competition, the Ashe roof came in handy. And maybe playing in perfect conditions helped the decisive underdog Sonego, who falls to 0-7 in matchups against Zverev and drops to 1-10 against Top 10 players at the majors.
In nine US Opens, Sonego has never made it past the second round. But his shotmaking and grit were on full display throughout the four-hour, 53-minute match that was stacked with big moments and massive drama.
Eventually the 6-foot-5 Zverev, of Germany, rallied for the nail-biting win against a gutsy opponent who simply wouldn’t quit.
“Credit to him, he played amazing tennis today,’’ said Zverev, who converted five of 22 break-point chances. “He would have beaten a lot of players for sure. But I’m happy to be through.”
Sonego’s bid to be the third man to defeat the No. 1 seed in the US Open first round fell short. Unfortunately for his camp, this wasn’t Alexander Volkov beating Stefan Edberg in 1990 or Jan Kordes eliminating John Newcombe in 1971.
Zverev was too steady in the match’s biggest moments as he ran his record this year to 18-3 against players ranked outside the Top 50.
A competitive first set took a turn in Zverev’s direction when he converted his third break-point opportunity to go ahead, 4-3, when Sonego misfired on a forehand. But he squandered three set points in Sonego’s next service game before serving it out.
Once Sonego dropped the opening frame, it wasn’t a good omen: He entered New York at 0-13 this year after losing the first set, and 11-14 overall.
To Sonego’s credit, he didn’t retreat. In fact, he started charging the net with more purpose, brought his first-serve percentage up into the 70th percentile and, by converting the second of two break points, he swiped the second set to even the match as frustration paid a visit to Zverev.
The third set, with each player securing a service break, featured a tiebreak that was exciting and enthralling. Zverev let a set point slip through his fingers at 7-6, with Sonego cashing in his second set-point chance to prevail, 9-7.
Sonego, in the fourth set, elevated his game again and was two points from the match before being stiff-armed by Zverev, who broke for the second time in the set and held to force a decider.
The fifth set was like the previous four, filled with back-and-forth stellar shots and clutch serves. Zverev took a 3-2 edge when Sonego double-faulted on break point, and that was the opening he needed. He soon served out the victory when Sonego hit a forehand long.
The long trek to the winner’s circle, Zverev speculated, might pay dividends.
“Actually I’m happy that I won this kind of battle,’’ he said. “This is exactly the match that I needed because I struggled in the last two tournaments, I didn't play well, and sometimes good things happen after you fight through one of these matches. So I’m hoping that will be the case for me this tournament.’’
In a city that never snoozes, a weary Zverev told the Ashe crowd that it was time for their heads to hit the pillow.
“I think everyone is tired,’’ he said. “Everyone wants to go to sleep, so have a good night and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
WHAT IT MEANS
Zverev is hoping for an endless summer, and why not, considering the wave he’s riding.
With Tuesday's tight conquest, he became the third player to reach 100 Grand Slam wins this decade, joining Novak Djokovic (129) and Jannik Sinner (100).
It’s clear Zverev, 29, is playing the best tennis of his solid career, which has gone from being noted for what he didn’t do (win a Grand Slam) to what he now might do (win multiple).
That certainly includes his history in Flushing, as he’s the lone player with a distinction he earned in 2020 that still stings: No one has rallied to win a US Open semifinal from two sets down, then squandered a two-set lead in the final to walk out with his chin on his chest. Not only was he unable to clutch the trophy, but his downfall came with him being just two points from the match.
At last year’s US Open, Zverev checked out after reaching the third round. But what a difference 12 months makes.
Since then, he has a semifinal showing at the Australian Open, a Roland Garros trophy on his mantle and a Wimbledon final appearance. He leads the ATP this season with 47 wins overall and 19 triumphs in the majors.
Next up for Zverev is France’s Quentin Halys, who disposed of Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta. Zverev has swept their two career matches, both of which were played this year. En route to his Roland Garros title on clay, Zverev knocked off the big-hitting Halys in the third round, in four sets. Zverev also got Halys at Miami, on hard courts, in the Round of 16. It was a straight-set triumph that saw both frames go to a tiebreak.
MATCH POINT
How rare is it for a German player to enter a Grand Slam event as the top seed? Zverev is just the third man from Deutschland to see his name atop a singles draw sheet in a major. The others were Boris Becker at Wimbledon (1987) and Gottfried Von Cramm at the French Championships (1935). Zverev is also the lone German man to advance to all four major singles finals.
