Top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who barely survived the first round of the U.S. Open, pulled off a similar escape act in the second round.
The 29-year-old German edged France’s Quentin Halys 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-3 in a match that ended early Friday morning in New York.
Two days earlier, Zverev got past Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in a five-set match that went until 1:55 a.m.
Zverev said post-match, “Well, the performance was quite s—, to be honest, but I won, and that’s the most important thing. I’ve been here 4 1/2 hours, 2:15 a.m. again, but that’s what I go to the gym for.
“That’s when I go to the track for. That’s what I train for, to be able to come out on top in these difficult moments, you know, when you’re not playing your best, when you’re not hitting winners left to right, just getting through these kind of matches. And to be honest, I hope, at some point, I’ll start playing better, but for now, I’m happy to be in the third round.”
The only service break in the decisive set came at match point. Zverev finished with a 29-18 edge in aces, but he converted just five of his 20 break-point opportunities.
The victory allowed Zverev to continue what until now has been a stellar Grand Slam season. After reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open, he won his first Grand Slam title (in his fourth championship match) by defeating Flavio Cobolli in a five-set French Open final.
Zverev fell to top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final. The German’s results dropped off after that, as he lost his opening match in Toronto before falling in the fourth round at Cincinnati.
Asked following the win about taking the court and being announced ahead of his matches as the No. 1 seed, Zverev said, “It’s great until you almost lose every single time. No, it’s special, but I’ve said it before, it doesn’t matter what the seedings are. It matters who is there at the end of the draw. And I’m crawling towards that.”
Halys, a 29-year-old who is ranked 52nd in the world, has never advanced past the third round of a major tournament. He earned his first career ATP Tour singles title in July at Kitzbuhel, Austria.
Up next for Zverev is a third-round match against Alejandro Tabilo. The 25th-seeded Chilean defeated Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-2 on Thursday.
Zverev owns a 2-0 career record vs. Tabilo, including a first-round victory at the 2025 U.S. Open.
–Field Level Media
