Trending 
Alexander Zverev has endured another gruelling late-night battle at the US Open, overcoming France’s Quentin Halys in a five-set contest to reach the third round of the tournament.
The top-seeded German battled for four hours and 33 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium before securing a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 victory, finishing just after 2:15 am local time on Friday.
The win marked Zverev’s second consecutive five-set match at Flushing Meadows after he also needed five sets to get through his opening-round clash, which ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The 29-year-old has now spent almost 10 hours on court across his first two matches.
Reflecting on his performance, Zverev admitted it was far from his best but said advancing was what mattered most.
“The performance was quite shit, to be honest, but I won, that’s the most important thing,” Zverev said during his on-court interview.
The world number one seed also joked about his demanding schedule, saying the late-night battles were part of the challenge he prepares for.
“Another four-and-a-half hours, 2:15am, that’s what I go to the gym for,” he added.
Zverev also praised the fans who stayed until the final point, saying their support helped push him through the exhausting encounter.
“The couple thousand people (who stayed) made up for the 15,000 that left,” he said.
Zverev appeared in control early against Halys, taking the opening set after securing the only break at 5-4. However, the Frenchman responded in the second set, saving a break chance before capitalising on a double fault from Zverev to level the match.
The German recovered after falling 4-1 behind in the third set, forcing a tiebreak where he raced ahead and claimed the advantage. Halys refused to fold, dominating the fourth-set tiebreak to send the match into a deciding fifth set.
With fatigue setting in, Zverev finally found the breakthrough when Halys sent a forehand wide, handing the German a crucial break. Zverev held his nerve, closing out the match with another break to secure victory.
He will now face Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in the next round as he continues his pursuit of a first US Open title.
