Alexander Zverev walked off Arthur Ashe Stadium at 1:55 in the morning on Wednesday, exhausted, relieved, and grateful to still be alive in the US Open after four hours and 53 minutes of absolute mayhem.

The top seed survived a monumental scare from Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, somehow finding a way to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5, 6-4 in a wild five-setter.

This wasn’t supposed to be difficult. Sonego is ranked 89th in the world. Zverev had won all six previous encounters. The German arrived at Flushing Meadows as the hottest player in tennis after claiming his maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros and reaching the Wimbledon final.

Instead, he found himself two points from defeat, trailing 5-4 in the fourth set.

The great escape

How Zverev survived that moment will haunt Sonego for months. Two points from victory. Two points from claiming the biggest scalp of his career. Two points from sending the top seed packing on day one.

Instead, the German held serve, broke Sonego in the next game, then earned the lone break of the fifth set to complete an escape that felt more like a prison break than a tennis match.

“I’m just happy I won, that’s it. Incredible battle,” Zverev said afterwards, the understatement somehow capturing the relief better than hyperbole could.

The tense all court battle showcased both players at their brilliant and bewildering best.

Zverev actually needed this. After lacklustre performances in two hard court tournaments coming into the Open, the five-set grind might prove the perfect wake-up call.

“Credit to him, he played an incredible match,” Zverev said of Sonego, acknowledging that sometimes the matches you survive matter more than the ones you dominate.

No drama for Rybakina

Whilst Zverev battled into the early morning hours, world number two Elena Rybakina experienced considerably less stress during her 6-3, 6-2 dismantling of US teenager Thea Frodin.

The Kazakh star, eyeing a third Grand Slam title and the world number one ranking, showed little sign of the left heel injury that forced her withdrawal from the Cincinnati quarter-finals earlier this month.

She saved both break points faced in a polished performance against the big-hitting but erratic American, who was making her Grand Slam main draw debut on a wild card.

“I’m happy with the match. Especially when you don’t know your opponent, it always can be dangerous, but overall I’m happy with the first match and how it went,” Rybakina said, the calm assessment of someone who never felt truly threatened.

Gauff’s serve shines

Former champion Coco Gauff showcased her immensely improved serve in a confident 6-3, 6-4 victory over Turkey’s 53rd-ranked Zeynep Sonmez.

The American blazed through the opening set before Sonmez elevated her game, recovering an early break in the second and briefly taking the lead before Gauff regrouped and reasserted control.

“I think I was just trying not to panic,” Gauff explained. “She started coming to the net and playing great tennis. That 3-all game was real important.”

She saved three break points in the sixth game of the second set before breaking in the next game for a lead she wouldn’t surrender, demonstrating the champion’s mentality that carried her to the title two years ago.

Andreeva eases through

Women’s French Open champion Mirra Andreeva also advanced comfortably, cruising past Indonesia’s 36th-ranked Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-2.

The fifth seed has endured a lacklustre run on North American hard courts since her scintillating Paris triumph, but looked dialled in whilst producing her second win over Tjen in less than two weeks.

After a tougher encounter against the Indonesian in Cincinnati, Andreeva said she adjusted her approach: “I was just trying to be very aggressive.”

Cobolli’s comeback

Fifth-seeded Flavio Cobolli, who finished runner-up to Zverev at Roland Garros, rallied from two sets down for the first time in his career to defeat Argentina’s Francisco Comesana 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

The Italian shook off an erratic start, dropping to his knees and raising his arms in celebration after closing out the four-hour, 13-minute marathon.

“In a Grand Slam it’s never done,” Cobolli declared. “You have to fight to the last point.”

The comeback carried extra significance given his Roland Garros heartbreak against Zverev – proving he possesses the mental fortitude required for Grand Slam success even if the title eluded him in Paris.

Rain wreaks havoc

Whilst play proceeded as scheduled on the covered Ashe and Armstrong stadiums, outside courts endured misery as rain delays wreaked havoc on the opening day schedule.

A near four-hour delay to the start of play, followed by more evening interruptions, forced five late matches to be postponed entirely whilst a handful of others were suspended to resume Wednesday.

But for Zverev, who survived his 1:55am finish, a bit of rain delay would’ve been welcomed relief compared to the five-set gauntlet Sonego forced him through.