Zverev Is Finally Playing the US Open on His Own Terms, and That Might Be the Real Story
Photo Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images Top seed Alexander Zverev clinches his second-round win at 2:15 a.m.
Six years after blowing a two-set final lead to Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev is back at Flushing Meadows as a No. 1 seed for the first time. He is not winning pretty. He might be winning smarter.
Alexander Zverev has now survived two five-set matches in two rounds at the 2026 US Open, and if that sounds like a warning sign, it might also be the opposite. The German, top seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career, ground past Frenchman Quentin Halys 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 in a match that did not end until 2:15 a.m. on Friday. It came two days after he needed four hours and 53 minutes to get past Lorenzo Sonego, also in five sets.
On paper, that is two brutal physical tests before the second week has even started. But zoom out, and this result fits into a longer, more interesting arc than “top seed struggles.”
The Ghost of 2020
Zverev has been to a US Open final before. In 2020, he led Thiem by two sets before the match slipped away from him entirely, a collapse that has followed him ever since as the closest he has come to a major title without getting there. That loss has shaped how every subsequent deep run at a Slam gets read, fairly or not, as a referendum on whether he can finish the job when it matters most.
This year is different in one key way: Zverev already has proof he can close out a major. He won Roland Garros in 2026, which means the psychological weight he is carrying into Flushing Meadows is not “can he win a Slam” but “can he win this one,” at the tournament where he came closest and fell hardest.
Grinding Is Not the Same as Struggling
It would be easy to read back-to-back five-setters as a sign Zverev is vulnerable. His own comments after the Halys match suggest something closer to the opposite. He openly admitted his level was poor on the night, but framed the win itself as the product of physical preparation built specifically for nights like this one, rather than a case of talent alone carrying him through.
The numbers support that reading. Zverev struck 29 aces and created 20 break point chances, converting only five, a sign his baseline game was not clicking. Halys even had a break point to go up 5-1 in the third set. Zverev erased it, then closed the set in a tiebreak. That is not the profile of a player cruising. It is the profile of a player who knows how to win ugly, which is a different skill than the one that got exposed in 2020.
What Comes Next Matters More Than What Just Happened
Zverev’s next opponent is 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo, a player he already leads 2-0 in their head to head, including a win over him at last year’s US Open. On paper, it is a favourable draw. But the real test of this redemption arc will not be round three. It will be whether two draining five-set matches early in the tournament leave Zverev with enough in the tank for the second week, when the physical and psychological stakes both rise sharply.
For now, Zverev is unbeaten, top seeded, and further along the redemption path than he has been since 2020. Whether this is the version of him that finally finishes the job, or the version that runs out of legs before it matters, is the story worth watching over the next ten days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Alexander Zverev win his second round match at the 2026 US Open?
Yes. Zverev beat Quentin Halys 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 in a match lasting four hours and 33 minutes, finishing at 2:15 a.m. on Friday.
Why did Alexander Zverev lose the 2020 US Open final?
Zverev led Dominic Thiem by two sets in the 2020 final before losing the match, a collapse widely regarded as the closest he has come to winning a major title without doing so.
Is Alexander Zverev the top seed at the 2026 US Open?
Yes. This is the first time in his career Zverev has entered a Grand Slam tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Has Alexander Zverev won a Grand Slam title
Yes. Zverev won Roland Garros in 2026, his first major title.
Who does Alexander Zverev play next at the US Open?
Zverev faces 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo in the third round. Zverev leads their head to head 2-0, including a win over Tabilo at last year’s US Open.
How many five-set matches has Zverev played at the 2026 US Open?
Two. Zverev won a five-set match against Lorenzo Sonego in the first round before beating Quentin Halys in five sets in the second round.