Alexander Zverev narrowly avoided becoming the first men's top seed to lose in the opening round of a grand slam tournament since 2003, defeating Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in a gruelling US Open contest that concluded in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The German competitor squandered numerous opportunities to break Sonego's service throughout the night and faced the genuine prospect of joining an exclusive and unwelcome club. The last men's No. 1 seed to suffer first-round elimination at a major was Lleyton Hewitt, who fell to Ivo Karlovic at Wimbledon in 2003. At the US Open specifically, such a result had not occurred since Stefan Edberg's loss to Alexander Volkov in 1990. Zverev ultimately prevailed after 4 hours and 53 minutes, with the match concluding at 1:55 a.m.
Following his victory, Zverev reflected on the marathon nature of the encounter.
Nearly five hours for a first round, I think this is the longest first-round match I've ever played in my life. So, credit to him. He played amazing tennis today, would have beaten a lot of players for sure, but I'm happy to be through.
Zverev's path to the top seed position at the US Open was shaped by recent tournament results and circumstances. He captured his maiden grand slam title at the French Open, subsequently reached the Wimbledon final where he lost to top-ranked Jannik Sinner, and then became the first men's No. 1 seed in a major tournament in his career when Sinner withdrew from the US Open due to a right knee injury.
Zverev entered the match with a perfect 7-0 record against Sonego, an Italian competitor ranked 89th in the world who had won just one match against top-10 opponents in grand slam tournaments. However, Sonego's court speed and mobility allowed him to retrieve balls that would ordinarily have been winners, and his reliable serving kept him competitive throughout. Zverev converted only five of his 22 break point opportunities during the match.
How did the pivotal moments unfold?
The third set proved decisive in the match's trajectory. Zverev broke Sonego's serve when the Italian was serving for the set at 5-4, positioning himself favourably in the subsequent tiebreaker. The German appeared to seize control after striking consecutive serves clocked at 133mph and 141mph to establish a 7-6 lead in the tiebreaker. Sonego responded by winning the next two points to reverse the advantage, and Zverev then double-faulted to surrender the set.
The fourth set witnessed a pattern of momentum shifts. Zverev secured a break for a 3-2 lead, but Sonego immediately recovered by breaking back after displaying exceptional court coverage in the following game. Sonego subsequently reached 5-4 and came within two points of victory, yet Zverev held serve and then broke to establish a 6-5 advantage. Before the fifth set commenced, Sonego received treatment on his hand or wrist but appeared ready to continue. Zverev secured the crucial break needed for a 3-2 lead in the final set and maintained his advantage through to the conclusion.
What lies ahead for Zverev?
Zverev will face Quentin Halys in the second round. The 2020 US Open runner-up expressed satisfaction with the demanding nature of his opening match, suggesting it may prove beneficial for his tournament prospects.
Actually I'm happy that I won this kind of battle because this exactly the match that I needed. I struggled 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 at this tournament.
Key Facts
- Zverev defeated Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in a match lasting 4 hours and 53 minutes
- The German top seed narrowly avoided becoming the first men's No. 1 seed to lose in a grand slam first round since 2003
- Zverev converted only 5 of 22 break point opportunities against the 89th-ranked Sonego
- The match concluded at 1:55 a.m., making it Zverev's longest first-round match on record
- Zverev will face Quentin Halys in the second round
