{"id":1887,"date":"2026-09-03T08:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/03\/zverev-survives-five-set-us-open-rain-disruption\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T08:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:37:01","slug":"zverev-survives-five-set-us-open-rain-disruption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/03\/zverev-survives-five-set-us-open-rain-disruption\/","title":{"rendered":"Zverev survives five-set thriller as US Open rain disrupts first day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Alexander Zverev survived a grueling five\u2011set encounter with Italy\u2019s Lorenzo Sonego to move into the second round of the US Open, keeping his quest for a third consecutive Grand Slam final alive. The German, who entered New York as the top seed after world\u2011number\u2011one Jannik Sinner withdrew with injury, fought back from a two\u2011set deficit to claim a 6\u20114, 3\u20116, 6\u20117(7), 7\u20115, 6\u20114 victory. The match, which lasted four hours and 53 minutes, tested Zverev\u2019s endurance and composure, especially when he was two points from defeat in the third set tiebreak.<\/p>\n<h2>Key moments from Zverev\u2019s win<\/h2>\n<p>After taking the first set 6\u20114, Zverev saw Sonego rally to win the next two sets, the third in a tightly contested tiebreak that ended 7\u20116(7). Facing a potential collapse, Zverev steadied his game in the fourth set, breaking Sonego to take it 7\u20115. He sealed the match with a decisive 6\u20114 win in the final set. Post\u2011match, Zverev said, \u201cI\u2019m just happy I won, that\u2019s it\u2026 I\u2019m happy that I won this battle and it was exactly what I needed \u2026 good things happen after you fight through these matches.\u201d His victory sets up a second\u2011round clash with France\u2019s Quentin Halys.<\/p>\n<h2>American hopes advance under the roof<\/h2>\n<p>While rain forced a delay to outdoor play, the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof allowed three American players to complete their first\u2011round matches. Madison Keys, the 2017 runner\u2011up, overcame Russian qualifier Alina Korneeva 7\u20115, 6\u20114. Keys, who described the opening round of a Grand Slam as \u201cso hard\u201d and \u201cnerve\u2011wracking,\u201d expressed gratitude for her performance, noting, \u201cI\u2019m so grateful I was able to fight through that.\u201d She will meet Hungarian Anna Bondar in the next round.<\/p>\n<p>Men\u2019s ninth seed Taylor Fritz delivered a straight\u2011sets win over fellow American Darwin Blanch, 6\u20113, 6\u20112, 6\u20114. Fritz, who reached the 2024 US Open final, has experienced an uneven run to the tournament, winning the Washington, D.C. event, falling in the Montreal opener, and reaching the Cincinnati quarterfinals. He emphasized the significance of his US Open campaign, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s super important for me. I\u2019d be pretty disappointed in the end of it if I wasn\u2019t able to achieve that. In my life, any time I have set a big goal for myself, I\u2019ve always done it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teenage sensation Alexandra Eala, hailed as a new crowd favourite, dispatched qualifier Mary Stoiana 6\u20111, 6\u20112. Eala\u2019s near\u2011flawless display highlighted her growing promise on the big stage, adding another compelling storyline to a day already packed with American success.<\/p>\n<h2>Rain\u2011induced chaos and other matches<\/h2>\n<p>Heavy rain in the morning forced a long postponement of outdoor action, leaving thousands of spectators in ponchos wandering the grounds as the schedule fell behind. Organisers announced that 14 first\u2011round matches suspended by the weather would be completed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>At Louis Armstrong Stadium, men\u2019s fifth seed Flavio Cobolli rallied from two sets down to beat Francisco Comesana 3\u20116, 2\u20116, 6\u20113, 6\u20114, 6\u20114, while women\u2019s fifth seed Mirra Andreeva dispatched Janice Tjen 6\u20112, 6\u20112. In the women\u2019s draw, Coco Gauff opened her campaign with a 6\u20113, 6\u20114 win over Zeynep Sonmez, keeping her pursuit of a third Grand Slam title on track.<\/p>\n<p>American teenager Thea Frodin, known for portraying a young Serena Williams in the 2021 film \u201cKing Richard,\u201d made her WTA Tour\u2011level debut against second seed Elena Rybakina. Rybakina, despite recent injury concerns, secured a 6\u20113, 6\u20112 victory.<\/p>\n<p>Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti posted a straight\u2011sets triumph over British player Arthur Fery, 6\u20113, 6\u20113, 7\u20115. Fery had previously reached the Wimbledon semifinals, making the win notable for Musetti\u2019s rising profile.<\/p>\n<p>French veteran Ga\u00ebl Monfils celebrated his 40th birthday with a four\u2011set win over Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, 2\u20116, 6\u20111, 6\u20112, 6\u20110, extending his farewell Grand Slam campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Alex de Minaur was scheduled to close the day\u2019s programme on the Grandstand court against Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri, but the match, along with several others, was cancelled when rain returned in the evening.<\/p>\n<p>The day\u2019s disruptions underscore the logistical challenges of hosting a major tournament in New York\u2019s unpredictable climate. Nevertheless, the completed matches showcased a blend of seasoned contenders and emerging talent, setting the stage for a compelling second round across both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s draws.<\/p>\n<h2>Looking ahead<\/h2>\n<p>Zverev\u2019s win positions him for a third straight Grand Slam final, a feat that would further cement his status among the sport\u2019s elite. His next opponent, Quentin Halys, will provide a fresh test as the tournament resumes full swing on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>For the American contingent, the early victories by Keys, Fritz, Gauff and Eala raise expectations for deep runs, especially as the US Open seeks a new men\u2019s champion after a 23\u2011year drought since Andy Roddick\u2019s 2003 triumph.<\/p>\n<p>With rain expected to subside, the US Open\u2019s second day promises to deliver the high\u2011stakes tennis that fans anticipate, while the tournament\u2019s organizers work to clear the backlog of delayed matches.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top seed Alexander Zverev edged Lorenzo Sonego in a five\u2011set battle while rain forced a day\u2011long pause to the US Open schedule, affecting dozens of first\u2011round matches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[1899,1902,1900,1614,1901,1782],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-alexander-zverev","tag-alexandra-eala","tag-madison-keys","tag-rain-delay","tag-taylor-fritz","tag-us-open","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1887\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}