Alexander Zverev avoided one of the first major shocks of the 2026 US Open.
Calling the result comfortable would be impossible. The tournament’s top men’s seed needed nearly five hours to survive his opening match Tuesday.
Zverev advanced, but the physical and strategic cost of escaping the first round created a much larger question about his path through the tournament. Grand Slam contenders expect exhausting matches late in the second week. They do not want to spend an entire afternoon fighting for survival before the event has properly settled.
Alexander Zverev’s escape could shape the rest of his tournament
Five-set victories often are presented as evidence of toughness. That interpretation is fair.
Alexander Zverev was happy to come out victorious after a nearly five-hour battle with Lorenzo Sonego 👏 pic.twitter.com/ifyfYeSgud
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 2, 2026
Zverev refused to panic, remained alive in the match and found enough answers under pressure to avoid an embarrassing early exit. Those are necessary qualities for any player attempting to win seven matches across two weeks.
The problem is the accumulated physical cost. The US Open can be brutally humid, and recovery becomes more difficult when a player spends significantly more energy than expected during an early round. Zverev now must carefully manage his practice schedule, treatment and preparation before returning to the court.
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His narrow escape also provided future opponents with useful information. Zverev’s serve and baseline power make him difficult to control when he plays aggressively. When rallies become extended and his positioning grows passive, matches can become far more complicated than his talent suggests they should be.
The draw does not care that he holds the No. 1 seed. Taylor Fritz enjoyed a far more efficient beginning Tuesday, defeating 18-year-old American Darwin Blanch 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Fritz struck 14 aces and surrendered only one point behind his first serve during the opening set, according to Reuters.
That is the type of opening performance Zverev wanted. Instead, he received an immediate reminder that ranking and reputation provide no protection in New York.
Zverev remains alive, and that ultimately is what matters in a knockout tournament. Some eventual champions survive an early scare and improve because of it. He now must ensure the longest match of the opening round becomes a turning point rather than the first sign of trouble.
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