Zverev Becomes First No. 1 Seed to Open a Slam With 2 Five-Set Wins

Q: After surviving consecutive grueling five-set marathons, can a heavily fatigued Alexander Zverev defy history to capture the US Open title?

Yes—but history says it is unlikely unless the draw opening around him translates into shorter matches from here. Zverev has already logged more than nine hours in two rounds and became the first men’s No. 1 seed in the Open Era to start a major with back-to-back five-setters. That is a serious warning sign at the US Open, where cumulative fatigue, recovery time and late-night finishes matter. His second-round win ended at 2:15 a.m., adding sleep disruption to the physical load. The case for him is that the tournament has become unusually open. Novak Djokovic is already out, and other top seeds such as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur also fell early. That reduces some of the elite resistance in Zverev’s path. He is also experienced in best-of-five tennis and has survived pressure repeatedly this week. The case against him is stronger in the short term. Grand Slam champions usually do not spend this much energy this early and still lift the title. Even if Zverev advances, repeated long matches tend to leave a player vulnerable later against fresher opponents such as Taylor Fritz or Carlos Alcaraz. Fritz, for example, reached the third round after a 98-minute rout, a stark contrast in physical cost. So Zverev can still win this US Open, especially with the draw thinning out, but he likely cannot keep doing it this way. If he is to defy history, he probably needs his next rounds to become much cleaner and shorter.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 4

Quentin Halys pushed Alexander Zverev to another late-night escape before the top seed prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 at 2:15 a.m. to reach the third round.
Two straight five-setters have now consumed more than nine hours, making Zverev the first men's top seed in the Open Era to start a Grand Slam that way.
Zverev's 29 aces and 80% success on first-serve points carried him, but he again struggled on break points—5 for 20 after going 5 for 22 against Lorenzo Sonego.
The draw has opened around him after losses by Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti and earlier Novak Djokovic, leaving No. 25 Alejandro Tabilo next and fewer top seeds in his path.