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.
With information from US OPEN
