Top seed Zverev survives five-hour US Open thriller

The top seed Alexander Zverev narrowly survived a grueling five-setter against Lorenzo Sonego in the US Open’s opening round, prevailing 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 in just under five hours. The dramatic match ended around 1:55 a.m. as the tournament began amid upheaval, with Novak Djokovic’s first-round exit and Jannik Sinner’s knee-related withdrawal altering the field. Sonego pushed Zverev to the brink, even holding two match points in the fourth set before the German player steadied to force a decider. Zverev praised Sonego’s performance and candidly noted some uncharacteristic backhand errors that he will look to improve ahead of the next round. The victory advances Zverev to a second-round clash with Quentin Halys and keeps alive a potential title bid, though analysts caution about the physical toll of such a marathon win in humid conditions. This result underscores the fragile margin in a year when the draw’s traditional hierarchy has been unsettled at the outset.