Zverev survives nearly five-hour US Open marathon

Alexander Zverev needed nearly five hours, repeated escapes and a late breakthrough to avoid an unwanted place in Grand Slam history. The German edged Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in a US Open match that finished in the early hours of the morning.

Zverev entered the tournament as the men's No. 1 seed for the first time. Jannik Sinner's withdrawal because of a right knee injury gave him that status, but it also raised the stakes of his opening match. A defeat would have made him the first top-seeded man to lose in the first round of a major since Ivo Karlovic beat Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003. The last such loss at the US Open came in 1990, when Stefan Edberg fell to Alexander Volkov.

For much of the night, Zverev struggled to convert his opportunities. He finished only five for 22 on break points, while Sonego's speed allowed the Italian to chase down shots that might have been winners against another opponent. Sonego also produced enough important serves to keep the match within reach.

Zverev broke while Sonego served for the third set at 5-4, then moved to a 7-6 lead in the tiebreak with consecutive serves clocked at 133 and 141 mph. Sonego won the next two points, and Zverev ended the set with a double fault. In the fourth, Zverev broke for 3-2, but Sonego immediately broke back and later came within two points of victory at 5-4. Zverev held, broke again for 6-5 and finally secured the decisive advantage in the last set, moving ahead 3-2 after Sonego had his hand or wrist checked.

"Actually I'm happy that I won this kind of battle because this exactly the match that I needed," Zverev said. He now faces Quentin Halys.

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Actually I'm happy that I won this kind of battle because this exactly the match that I needed.