Alexander Zverev edged past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7-9), 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the 2026 US Open men’s singles on September 1 in New York City [1, 2, 3]. The match lasted 4 hours and 53 minutes, ending near 2 a.m. local time [1, 2, 4].
Zverev faced match points in the fourth set but mounted a comeback to win in five sets [1, 4, 5]. With the victory, Zverev extended his head-to-head record over Sonego to 7-0; Sonego is ranked around 89 in the world [1, 2, 3].
The win prevented Zverev from becoming the first top men’s seed to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 and the first to fall in the US Open opening round since Stefan Edberg in 1990 [1, 6].
Zverev called the match "an incredible battle, lots of ups and downs, nearly five hours." He said, "I think it was my longest first-round match at a Grand Slam. He would have beaten a lot of players but I’m happy to be through. I’m happy I won this kind of battle and it was exactly what I needed ... good things happen after you fight through these matches" [1].
Daniil Medvedev won his US Open third-round match on September 4, defeating Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round [7, 8]. Medvedev faced early pressure in the first set but recovered to avoid any break points in the second set [7]. The victory marked his 35th match win of the year and avenged a prior loss to Rinderknech at the Shanghai Masters [7]. Medvedev will next face Frances Tiafoe or Valentin Vacherot in the fourth round [8].
Zverev will meet Quentin Halys of France in the US Open second round [1, 2].
