Alexander Zverev arrived at the U.S. Open as the No. 1 seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, carrying with him the confidence of finally becoming a major champion.
He nearly left the tournament before that confidence could make a difference.
The French Open champion survived a marathon first-round scare Wednesday, rallying past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in a grueling match that lasted 4 hours, 52 minutes and ended in the early morning.
Zverev was pushed to the brink before finding a way through, avoiding what would have been one of the biggest first-round upsets in U.S. Open history.
Two nights after No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, was eliminated in five sets, Zverev came dangerously close to becoming the latest top player to make an early exit from an event already missing top-ranked Jannik Sinner because of a right knee injury.
