Zverev survives another five-set marathon against Halys to reach US Open third round

Top seed Alexander Zverev survived his second consecutive five-set marathon at the US Open, overcoming France’s Quentin Halys 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 to advance to the third round at Flushing Meadows.

Zverev needed four hours and 33 minutes to subdue the world No. 52 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the match finishing at around 2.15 am in New York. The German had also been pushed to five sets by Lorenzo Sonego in his opening match and has now spent more than nine hours on court across the first two rounds.

Halys pushes top seed

Zverev claimed the opening set after breaking Halys late, but the Frenchman responded by taking the second. Halys then threatened a major upset after breaking Zverev twice early in the third set and opening a 4-1 advantage before the German fought back to force a tiebreak and won it 7-3.

Halys refused to fade, taking another tiebreak by the same margin in the fourth set to force a decider. Zverev, despite struggling to find his best rhythm with his serve and backhand for long periods, steadied himself in the fifth and secured the decisive break before closing out another exhausting victory.

Another marathon win

The German finished with 49 unforced errors, while Halys committed 63 during a contest in which both players repeatedly struggled to seize control. Zverev ultimately proved stronger at the decisive moments to avoid an early exit and keep his bid for another Grand Slam title alive.

The victory sends Zverev into a third-round meeting with 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo. The 2020 US Open runner-up, competing as the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, will enter the contest carrying a significant workload after two successive five-set encounters.