Alexander Zverev survives five-set battle to reach US Open second round

Alexander Zverev needed nearly five hours, five sets and a late-night finish to escape his US Open opener against Lorenzo Sonego.

The world No. 2 defeated the Italian 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-5, 6-4 after 4 hours and 52 minutes. He converted match point at 1:55 a.m., completing a tense contest filled with spectacular rallies.

The match initially appeared to be heading toward a routine win. Zverev took the first set in 54 minutes after breaking Sonego, but the German then suffered a drop in performance. Sonego pushed him into defense, won most of the long exchanges and broke for a 5-3 lead in the second set.

The Italian also took Zverev’s serve in the third set. During changeovers, Zverev repeatedly checked his blood sugar. The French Open champion has lived with Type 1 diabetes since childhood.

Zverev raised his level in the fourth set, creating repeated break chances before forcing a decider. He broke Sonego for 3-2 in the fifth set and then relied on his physical strength to finish the comeback. Earlier, he had fallen on his back while chasing a drop shot, but he escaped the incident without injury.