Alexander Zverev secured a hard-fought victory in a late-night first-round match at the US Open, overcoming Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in a five-set thriller that ended in the early hours of Wednesday. The German, the reigning French Open champion and among the tournament favorites, prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-5, 6-4 after nearly five hours of play on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Trailing two sets to one, Zverev demonstrated resilience to avoid an early upset that would have made him only the fourth top-seeded male player to lose in the opening round of a Grand Slam during the Open era. The match concluded at 1:55 a.m. local time, with a sparse crowd still in attendance.

“It was an incredible battle. Sometimes good things happen when you’ve fought your way through matches like this. I hope that’s the case for me in this tournament,” Zverev said during the on-court interview, visibly fatigued and expressing a desire to rest after the marathon contest.

Zverev is set to face French player Quentin Halys in the second round on Thursday. The tournament enters its early stages with several notable absences and early exits shaping the men’s draw. Italy’s world number one Jannik Sinner withdrew due to a knee injury, and Novak Djokovic, the record Grand Slam titleholder, has already been eliminated. Carlos Alcaraz, another top contender, recently returned from a four-month injury hiatus.

On the women’s side, defending US Open champion Coco Gauff began her campaign with a straight-sets victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, winning 6-3, 6-4. Second seed Elena Rybakina also advanced comfortably, defeating teenage American wild card Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2.