Top-seeded Alexander Zverev narrowly avoided a historic first-round exit at the US Open after mounting a dramatic comeback to defeat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in a late-night marathon at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The German star rallied from two sets to one down securing a hard-fought victory with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 scoreline.
Sonego pushes Zverev to the limit
Playing in his first Grand Slam as the tournament’s top seed, Zverev faced a fierce challenge from the relentless Italian. After Zverev took the opening set, Sonego stormed back using aggressive baseline play, winning the second set and pulling ahead in a tense third-set tiebreak.
Zverev found himself just two points away from defeat in the fourth set while serving at 4-5, but managed to stay calm under pressure to level the match.
Early morning marathon finish
The marathon battle lasted four hours and 53 minutes, finally coming to an end at 1:55 AM local time on Wednesday. Despite converting only 5 of his 22 break-point opportunities across the match, Zverev struck a crucial late break in the deciding set to close out the victory.
The win extends Zverev’s unbeaten head-to-head record against Sonego to 7-0.
The hopes remain alive
The reigning French Open champion entered the tournament with high expectations as he targets his second major title. Discussing his mindset coming into the tournament, the German noted before the event:
“I feel like I’m one of the 128 players that are favorites in the draw,” while also stating, “I hope I can show my best tennis here again.”
Zverev will next face Frenchman Quentin Halys in the second round.
