In his first Grand Slam tournament as the top seed, Alexander Zverev faced a tough challenge at the U.S. Open despite his recent major title victory. Zverev narrowly avoided an early exit by staging a comeback against Lorenzo Sonego, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in a nearly five-hour match that concluded early on Wednesday.
Following Novak Djokovic’s surprising elimination, Zverev found himself in a precarious position, almost becoming another top player casualty in the absence of Jannik Sinner due to injury. Zverev’s victory prevented him from becoming the first top-seeded player to exit in the first round of a major tournament since 2003.
Expressing his relief, Zverev stated, “I’m pleased to have won such a challenging match. It was exactly the kind of test I needed.” Meanwhile, Coco Gauff had a smoother start, defeating Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4 in her pursuit of a second U.S. Open title, setting up a second-round clash with either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina.
The rain-soaked day at the U.S. Open witnessed spirited performances from Gael Monfils, who celebrated his 40th birthday with a win, and Alex Eala, who delighted her Filipino supporters with a convincing victory over Mary Stoiana. Gauff’s return this year showcased her enhanced confidence, culminating in a title win at Cincinnati and strong showings at Wimbledon and Toronto.
In other matches, Flavio Cobolli and Maria Sakkari staged remarkable comebacks to avoid early exits. Cobolli, the French Open runner-up, fought back from a two-set deficit to defeat Francisco Comesana, while Sakkari, the No. 32 seed, overcame a significant deficit to triumph over Robin Montgomery.
Despite rain delays impacting several matches and pushing schedules back, players like Madison Keys and Elena Rybakina managed to secure victories. Keys, the No. 22 seed, overcame Alina Korneeva, while Rybakina defeated Thea Frodin. The tournament also saw surprises as No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic fell to Yulia Putintseva in a hard-fought three-set match.