Top-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced to the second round of the US Open on Tuesday after a grueling match against 89th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego. Zverev triumphed with a final score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5, 6-4. The match, which took place on Arthur Ashe Stadium, lasted four hours and 53 minutes, concluding at 1:55 AM.
Zverev faced a fierce challenge from Sonego, showcasing a mix of remarkable shot-making and unexpected errors. “I’m just happy I won, that’s it,” Zverev remarked after the match. He noted the match’s intensity, stating, “Incredible battle, a lot of ups and downs — nearly five hours for a first round, I think it’s the longest first round match I ever played in my life.”
Zverev Praises Opponent After Thrilling Match
“Credit to him, he played an incredible match,” said Alexander Zverev following his recent performance. The match served as a crucial test for Zverev, who had struggled in two hard court tournaments leading up to the Open.
The German had pocketed the first set without facing a break point. After surrendering a break in the seventh game Sonego made him work to close it out, saving four set points on his own serve in the ninth game before Zverev produced a love hold. Sonego gave himself a break chance in the seventh game with a defensive lob that left the German stranded, and Zverev dropped his serve meekly with his second double fault of the game. The momentum was short-lived as Sonego broke back in the next game, taking advantage of Zverev’s botched overhead and closing out the game with a stunning passing shot and a forehand volley.
The pressure built in the second set, Sonego earning his first break of the match for a 5-3 lead and serving it out to level the match. Sonego was serving for the set at 5-4 when Zverev stepped it up, breaking the Italian at love in a game that opened with Zverev’s pinpoint passing winner off an acrobatic volley from Sonego. Sonego saved a pair of break points to open the fourth set and had saved three more in the fifth game before Zverev broke for 3-2, seizing the advantage with a lunging cross-court backhand that Sonego couldn’t reach.
