Alexander Zverev’s 2026 US Open has already become a test of stamina as much as skill, with the world No. 2 again dragged into a long night at Flushing Meadows. His second-round match against Quentin Halys finished at 02:15 on Friday morning in New York after four hours and 33 minutes, extending an opening stretch that has already swallowed more than nine hours on court.

The top seed had begun the tournament with an even longer battle, spending four hours and 53 minutes to defeat Lorenzo Sonego in five sets in the first round on Tuesday. Two matches in, Zverev has now completed two five-setters and logged nine hours and 26 minutes of match time, a figure that places him in a unique spot in Grand Slam history. He has become the first top seed in the Open Era to play two five-setters in the opening two rounds of a Grand Slam.

Zverev’s win over Halys came by 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, but the German was frank about how he saw his level. “The performance was quite s***, to be honest, but I won, and that’s the most important thing,” the top seed said. “I’ve been here for another four and a half hours, 02:15am again, but that is what I go to the gym for, that’s what I go to the track for, that’s what I train for, to be able to come out on top in these difficult moments.

“You know, when you’re not playing your best, when you’re not hitting winners left and right, just getting through these kind of matches.

“To be honest, I hope at some point I will start to play better, but for now I am happy to be in the third round.”

The draw now looks more manageable. Zverev will next meet 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo, while 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti has already fallen to wildcard Dane Sweeny in the second round. With no other top-20 player standing in his way until at least the last eight, the path has opened further after early exits for third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, sixth seed Alex de Minaur and 12th seed Rafael Jodar.

If Zverev continues, he is projected to face 14th-seeded Learner Tien or 17th seed Jakub Mensik in the quarter-final, then possibly fifth seed Flavio Cobolli or ninth seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-final. The bottom half of the draw still includes second seed Carlos Alcaraz, seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, eighth seed Ben Shelton and 11th seed Frances Tiafoe.

Alex Eala’s first win at the US Open marked a defining step in the rise of one of the WTA Tour’s most watchable young players.

On a lively Grandstand court, the 2022 US Open junior girls’ singles champion and world No 70 became the first Filipina to appear in the women’s singles draw at Flushing Meadows. She did it in dramatic fashion, recovering from a double break down in the third set to beat No 14 seed Clara Tauson and set off scenes of celebration.

That result underlined Eala’s growing appeal, although her campaign was stopped in the next round by Cristina Bucsa. Any thought that she might immediately push deep into the second week disappeared with that defeat, but the broader picture has still changed sharply.

A year ago, Eala was still very much a player in development, with her education under coach Joan Bosch at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca only in its early stages. Now, she has reached the third round at the US Open for the first time, and the difference is obvious.

The biggest gains have come in her serve. It was a clear weakness only months ago, especially for a player of her size and build, but she has added pace and improved her placement. Her second serve now carries more threat in key moments, and rivals who used to expose that part of her game are having a harder time doing so.

Her backhand has also become more complete. Already a lively shot, it now comes with more variation and sharper angles, making it particularly effective on return. Top players have been pushed onto the defensive quickly, while lower-ranked opponents have also struggled to absorb the pace from both wings.

In her second-round win over Oleksandra Oliynykova, Eala showed further signs of maturity by stepping inside the court and taking the ball early. That approach neutralised a looping tactic designed to disrupt her rhythm.

“What I think she has improved on is adding pace to her game,” declared former British No 1 Laura Robson on Sky Sports.

“She has always been able to take the ball early, but I think especially on the forehand side she is ripping it more than ever and it’s made the biggest difference on the faster surfaces. It’s a bit more lively, and she gets a bit more purchase on it.”

Eala is still at an early point in her career, and there is more to add. Even so, she already has enough tools to trouble the best players in the game, and her progress has made her one of the more compelling stories of the tournament.

Jessica Pegula kept her US Open run moving with a straight-sets victory over Sofia Kenin in the second round.

The American has now lost only nine games across her first two matches in New York this year, reinforcing her status as one of the leading contenders for the title. Pegula has already reached the US Open final, doing so in 2024, but she is still searching for a first Grand Slam trophy despite her strong results over the last two seasons.

Her form on court has been impressive, but the world No 3 has also been paying close attention to what is happening around the tournament. In her post-match press conference, Pegula expressed clear frustration about the number of gambling sponsorships tied to the 2026 US Open.

“It’s been a discussion that’s been going on for a while now. Players can’t do anything related to betting sponsorships, while tournaments profit from a large part of this business,” said the world No 3.

“I don’t know, it’s a complicated issue. Because we get so much negativity from people who gamble. And sometimes it doesn’t even matter if you win or lose, right? It doesn’t change anything,” she continued.

“We get a lot of hate on social media for this, so it’s difficult when you then see those same companies become big sponsors of the tournament, perhaps advertising on the sidelines or on television. It’s complicated.

“I really don’t know the best way to approach the situation, especially since it’s somewhat inevitable. Betting is everywhere, and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon, especially when I look at other sports. It’s become an important part of keeping the public engaged.

“I don’t know, I have mixed feelings. I don’t know if it’s just something unpleasant or if it’s the world we live in today. I try my best not to deal with the negative side of things, with the bettors, the comments, and everything that happens on social media, and I just try to stay away from it.

“But it’s an interesting time, because we’re starting to see betting increasingly enter the tennis world, especially now. I don’t know, I’m not sure it’s a good thing.”

The issue has been a recurring one for players across the WTA Tour, many of whom have spoken about abuse from online gamblers in recent seasons. Katie Boulter also described similar experiences during the 2025 season, saying, “A lot of comments are very emotional responses,” and, “I’m past the point of worrying what people actually say to me, it’s more about somehow finding a way to stop that from happening. My goal was to raise awareness. There’s a lot of it. It’s pretty hard to contain it.”

The US Open has partnered with prediction market platform, Kalshi, for the 2026 event.