Zverev survives five-set marathon on opening night, sets up Halys rematch

A five-set thriller under the lights

The match was described as a thriller lasting deep into the night. Verbatim quote: "Krimi bis tief in die Nacht." Spectators who had stayed late were rewarded with a five-set finish and a long embrace at the net, the kind of moment that early-round tennis rarely produces.

Italian tennis has rarely had a more visible opening-round casualty at this tournament, and the mood among the travelling supporters in the stands reflected that. The defeated Italian player, ranked outside the top 30, had pushed the higher-seeded Zverev through every set and forced the German to dig deep on his own serve in the decider.

For Zverev, the victory carried extra weight. It was his first official outing since lifting the trophy in the French capital, and the rust of a post-Slam return was visible in the unforced-error tally but offset by his serving under pressure in the closing games. He finished with double-digit aces and saved the critical break points that determined the outcome.

Rematch on Thursday: Halys next

Attention now turns to Thursday, when Zverev will face Quentin Halys of France. The two have recent history: "Am Donnerstag wartet auf Zverev nun ein Wiedersehen mit dem Franzosen Quentin Halys, den er bei seinem Titel-Lauf in Paris in vier Sätzen bezwungen hatte." That four-set win came on the way to Zverev's Paris title and gives the German a clear psychological edge, though Halys has had time to recalibrate his game.

Halys enters the second round with little to lose and a chance to avenge his Paris loss. The Frenchman, ranked in the mid-30s, has been a consistent performer on faster surfaces this season and will look to drag Zverev into long rallies again, the pattern that nearly toppled the German on Tuesday.

Beyond the Zverev match, the New York venue had already produced its share of storylines. Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner were all active elsewhere in the draw, and tournament organisers were relieved that the night session had produced a clean finish without a mid-match retirement or weather interruption.

What the numbers say

Zverev's camp, led by Alexander Zverev Senior in the player's box, kept instructions brief and largely let the German work through the slow start on his own. The elder Zverev is reported to have focused his interventions on tactical adjustments between sets rather than technical tinkering, an approach that paid off as the match progressed.

Statistically, the match ran just shy of five hours and produced more than 80 games across the five sets. The longest single game came in the fourth set, where Zverev needed five break points before finally converting to level the match and force a deciding fifth.

Looking ahead, the second-round matchup with Halys is scheduled for Thursday, weather permitting. A win would push Zverev into the third round and keep alive the possibility of a late-tournament meeting with one of the other seeds still alive in his quarter of the draw.

For now, the takeaway from the New York night session is straightforward: Zverev is through, but not unscathed, and the path through the second week of the tournament just got a little clearer — and a little more demanding.