Top-seeded Alexander Zverev was just two points from making the wrong kind of historic, a humbling first-round U.S. Open exit.
Then he turned history around and pulled out a 6-4, 3-6. 6-7, 7-5, 6-4 come-from-behind escape against Lorenzo Sonego at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a 4:52 marathon that ended at 1:55 a.m. on Wednesday morning. And Senego played solid tennis, throwing everything at the German.
But Zverev had just enough.
“I’m just happy I won. That’s it,” Zverev said afterward. “I think yeah, incredible battle. A lot of ups and downs. Nearly five hours. I think this is the longest first round match I’ve ever played in my life! Credit to him, he played amazing tennis today. He would have beaten a lot of players, for sure. I’m happy to be through.
“Actually, I’m happy that I won this kind of battle because this is exactly the match that I needed. I struggled the last two tournaments. I didn’t play well. And sometimes good things happen after you fight through one of these matches. … So I’m hoping that will be the case for me at this tournament.”
Battle is an understatement.
Zverev improved to 7-0 all-time against his Italian foe, and men’s top seeds are now 11-0 in five-set matches in the Open Era. But it very nearly went the other way.
A men’s No. 1 seed hadn’t lost in the first round of a major since 2003, when Aussie Lleyton Hewitt lost to Ivo Karlović at Wimbledon. None had lost here in Flushing Meadows since 1990, when Stefan Edberg fell to Alexander Volkov. And Zverev was two points away from getting knocked out in the fourth set.
Jannik Sinner, the World No. 1, was sidelined before the tournament started. Novak Djokovic, the Greatest Of All Time, was ailing and eliminated in the opening round. The top-seeded Zverev going out would have truly opened the door for the American men, on a 23-year Grand Slam drought.
And after Zverev won the first set, Sonego took the next two and was on the brink of taking a third and the upset.
Sonego held at love to win the second set 6-3, taking the last three games.
Then, after Zverev and Sonego both wasted set points, the Italian pulled out the third. He staved off set point with a smash, drilled an ace to get one of his own, and cashed in when Zverev double faulted.
Sonego was two points away from the match in the fourth set, but couldn’t close out the deal. Zverev’s ace gave him set point and he won 7-5 to earn a fifth set.
After Sonego’s energy had seemed to dip, he got his right arm worked on during a medical timeout between sets. He’d expended a lot of energy, while Zverev had slowly, inexorably worked his way back to this point.
Sonego looked to have lost some of the attacking verve that he had ridden in the second and third sets, and Zverev started moving better.
Zverev got a break to go up 3-2 when the Italian double faulted. And up 4-3, he uncorked a 140 mph serve en route to holding. And on double match point, the German sealed his great escape.
