Top seed Alexander Zverev advanced to the second round of the US Open on Tuesday after overcoming Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in a dramatic five-set battle, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5, 6-4.
The match at Arthur Ashe Stadium lasted four hours and 53 minutes, finishing at 1:55 a.m. local time, AFP reported.
Zverev faced a determined challenge from the 89th-ranked Sonego in a closely contested match featuring spectacular defensive plays, sharply angled winners and a number of unforced errors.
“I’m just happy I won, that’s it,” Zverev said after the match. He described the contest as an “incredible battle” and noted that it was nearly five hours long, making it the longest first-round match of his career.
The German also praised Sonego for his performance and said the difficult encounter was exactly what he needed after disappointing results in two hard-court tournaments before the US Open.
The victory extended Zverev’s perfect record against Sonego to seven wins from seven meetings.
Zverev also avoided becoming the first men’s top seed in 23 years to lose in the opening round of a Grand Slam. He will face France’s Quentin Halys in the second round.
Zverev took the opening set without facing a break point. Sonego responded in the second set, securing his first break to take a 5-3 lead before serving out the set to level the match.
The Italian then appeared to take control in the third set as Zverev’s errors increased. Sonego broke for a 4-3 advantage, but Zverev recovered immediately when Sonego served for the set at 5-4.
The set went to a tiebreak, where Sonego eventually took control and claimed it after Zverev double-faulted on the Italian’s second set point.
Zverev saved two break points at the start of the fourth set and three more in the fifth game before finally breaking Sonego for a 3-2 lead.
Sonego responded immediately by breaking back, helped by a missed overhead from Zverev and a brilliant passing shot. The Italian then held at love to move ahead 4-3.
However, Zverev continued to apply pressure. After Sonego fought off four break points in the ninth game, the German finally broke for a 6-5 lead and served out the set to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final set, Zverev held off an early break point before breaking Sonego for a 3-2 lead. The German maintained his advantage from there to complete the hard-fought victory.