Alexander Zverev battled through another five-set thriller at the US Open on Thursday, overcoming Quentin Halys 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 to advance to the third round.
The German No. 1 seed has now been taken the distance in both of his matches at Flushing Meadows, spending nearly 10 hours on court across his opening two rounds.
Zverev, who also needed five sets to defeat Lorenzo Sonego in the first round, struggled for consistency against world No. 52 Halys but repeatedly found a way out of trouble. The win also saw him become the first No. 1 seed in the Open Era to start a Grand Slam with consecutive five-set victories.
The 29-year-old made a strong start, taking the opening set with a single break. Halys responded immediately in the second, raising his level to draw even and ignite the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. Zverev then faced another major setback in the third set when he fell 4-1 behind. The top seed quickly turned things around, winning three games in a row before dominating the tiebreak 7-3.
Halys continued to fight and forced another tiebreak in the fourth set, where he prevailed 7-3 to send the match into a decider. Zverev finally gained control in the fifth set, breaking ahead for a 4-2 lead after finishing a point with an overhead smash. He held his nerve to move within touching distance of victory.
Halys saved a match point with an aggressive winner, but his next shot landed wide, finally ending the Frenchman’s resistance. Halys’ errors played a significant role in the result, with the Frenchman committing 63 unforced errors to Zverev’s 49.
Zverev will face No. 25 seed Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.
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