German tennis player Alexander Zverev survived a huge scare at the US Open, overcoming Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 in a first-round thriller that lasted almost five hours and stretched into the early hours of Wednesday.
Zverev converted only one of seven break points to win the opening set, but world number 89 Sonego responded in the second, breaking early before serving out to love and sealing the set with an ace.
A closely fought third set went to a tie-break, where a double fault from Zverev gave Sonego the opening he needed to take a 2-1 lead.
After the pair traded breaks in the fourth set, Zverev found himself two points from defeat. However, the German completed the turnaround as Sonego began to tire, forcing a deciding set.
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Zverev held his nerve in the fifth to avoid becoming the first top seed to lose in the opening round of a Grand Slam since Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2003.
“I’m just happy I won, that’s it,” Zverev said. “I think it was an incredible battle, lots of ups and downs, nearly five hours. I think it was my longest first-round match at a Grand Slam.”
“He would have beaten a lot of players, but I’m happy to be through. I’m happy I won this kind of battle and it was exactly what I needed. Good things happen after you fight through these matches.
Zverev will next face Frenchman Quentin Halys.
