Alexander Zverev described his opening-round US Open victory over Lorenzo Sonego as an “incredible battle” after outlasting the Italian in a match that stretched close to five hours.

The top seed arrived in New York having won only two matches across the Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, and when he fell two sets to one behind, the contest appeared to be slipping away. Instead, the German responded with the kind of fight that carried him through a punishing five-setter, recovering to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in four hours and 53 minutes. The match ended at 1.55am on Wednesday.

Zverev now holds a 7-0 record against Sonego, but the scoreline did not reflect how difficult the first-round challenge was. Afterward, he was clear about both the scale of the effort and the value of coming through it.

He said on court, “I’m just happy I won. That’s it. Incredible battle. A lot of ups and downs. Nearly five hours for a first round. I think this is the longest first-round match I’ve ever played in my life. So credit to him, he played amazing tennis today. He would have beaten a lot of players for sure, but I’m happy to be through.”

This was Zverev’s second-longest match at a Grand Slam, behind only his five hour, 27 minute Australian Open semi-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz in January.

Rather than seeing the ordeal as a setback, Zverev said it was exactly the kind of contest he needed after a difficult spell. Ahead of a second-round meeting with Quentin Halys, against whom he leads 2-0, he also praised Sonego, who has dropped to 85th in the rankings and owns an 11-14 record this year.

He said, via Christian’s Court, “I think he’s an incredible player who struggled this year, and it’s as simple as that sometimes. Today he played like he normally plays, and he’s an amazing tennis player.

“For me has an amazing serve, amazing forehand. He can return so quickly. I would say I would have one of the fastest second serves on tour, and he was attacking it all the time. So he played amazing. I have to give credit to him, but yeah, I’m just happy that in the end I managed to win.

“I think there’s definitely room for improvement. Funnily enough, I think I missed a few more backhands than I usually do. That’s something that doesn’t happen very often. But definitely something that maybe I can adjust a little bit and hopefully moving forward it will be better.

“Overall, I think it was a great, tough battle, and I think it was a match that I needed after the last couple of weeks.”

Alex Eala opened her US Open run with a composed first-round win over American Mary Stoiana on Tuesday, moving through in straight sets and showing little sign of tension on one of the biggest stages in the sport.

Seeded 17th, the 21-year-old entered the tournament with significant attention on her, yet delivered a polished 6-1, 6-2 result at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Stoiana, 23 and ranked a career-high No. 113, could not match the Filipina’s level, even with a lively crowd behind the home player.

Eala’s serve has been a frequent talking point during her rise in recent months, but she handled it well under the lights. She won 28 of her 44 first serves in the night session, a solid return in a match that allowed her to settle quickly into the tournament.

Her next challenge comes in round two against Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova. The pair met in Strasbourg in May, when Eala fell in a tight three-set match, and she will now try to reverse that result.

After the victory, Eala spoke about the level she produced, the atmosphere inside the main stadium, and the shift in expectations that has come with her recent improvement. She also addressed the nerves that can accompany a first-round Slam match and the importance of staying focused amid a loud and energetic setting.

On her serving performance, Eala said: “I think I served pretty well.” She added that the serve remains “a constant effort and constant work and trying to improve.”

Looking ahead to the tournament, she said her aim is to keep producing matches at the level she believes she can sustain, while continuing the same aggressive approach that helped her open the event so strongly. The fans, meanwhile, continue to make an impression. As she put it, “They do still surprise me. Yes, they do. The fans are very creative and I love to see it. I thought it was super cute. They just make my day.”

Andy Roddick has taken issue with Terence Atmane after the Frenchman clashed with the trainer during his first-round defeat to Jaume Munar at the US Open.

Atmane’s difficult record in the majors continued on Sunday, when he fell in five sets after a match that swung sharply in both directions. The 24-year-old was two sets ahead before cramping began to affect him in the third set. Munar responded by taking the next two sets, and then, early in the fifth, Atmane called for the trainer again as fatigue set in.

Although he had already received treatment for his leg earlier in the contest, the trainer did not come back at 2-1 down in the decider, apparently because the issue was viewed as cramping. Players are not allowed a medical timeout for muscle cramping, though treatment can still be given during changeovers or set breaks. Atmane reacted angrily and asked if the physio was “stupid”.

Munar stayed composed and completed a 6-7 (5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory after around five hours on court. Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion, then weighed in and drew a line between frustration at umpires and abuse directed at trainers.

He said on the latest episode of Served, “Like, you get an umpire, they’re not your livelihood. They’re not there for you late. They’re not there till two in the morning, adding three hours to their day. Like, I’ve snapped at an umpire.

“So I’m not going to say you can’t say anything to anyone because that’s completely hypocritical by me, right? I’ve showed the worst side of myself on court. Trainers are untouchable. They’re untouchable. You know, it’d be like saying that to your doctor. They hustle. They’re away from their families. They travel.”

Roddick also said he knows Atmane and his team well, but felt this crossed a line. “If I saw Atmane… And I like Atmane socially. I’m in his section of the locker room. Always great. I’ve talked to him and his coach ( Guillaume Peyre) this week. I really, really like him,” he added.

“And if I saw him, a piece of unwanted advice, potentially, would be, ‘Dude, you can’t say that to trainers’. They’re like the holy grail of the fabric of the tour. I thought that was a bad moment.

“Hopefully, he’ll realise that, you know. And I don’t know if he needs to apologise. But just maybe know that that’s not the one. I feel pretty strongly about that. So it was drama.”