Top-seeded Alexander Zverev kept his US Open title hopes alive with a gritty 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 6-3 victory over France's Quentin Halys, a match that ended at 2:15 a.m. local time on Friday. The four-hour, 33-minute battle followed his first-round five-setter that finished near 2 a.m., raising questions about his endurance.

Zverev was candid about his form: "The performance was quite s*** to be honest, but I won, that's the most important thing. Physically, I feel fine. I just hope at some point I'll start playing better tennis. I'm winning ugly right now. It's also a skill to win ugly."

The men's draw saw major upsets as third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime fell to Karen Khachanov in four sets, with the Canadian citing dizziness and vision issues. Sixth seed Alex de Minaur was ousted by Botic van de Zandschulp, and 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti lost to world No. 123 Dane Sweeny, who reached a Grand Slam third round for the first time.

In the women's tournament, former champions Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka advanced. Gauff, the 2023 winner, defeated Paula Badosa 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), saying, "I need matches like this to build my confidence." Swiatek cruised past Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-2, while Osaka overcame a second-set collapse to beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva also progressed, while Madison Keys saved five match points to beat Anna Bondar in a thriller.

The day ended with an emotional farewell as 20-year-old Learner Tien defeated 40-year-old Gael Monfils in straight sets, ending the Frenchman's Grand Slam career. Monfils told the crowd, "It's been a long ride. You are my second-best crowd. Of course, it can't top Paris, but you are up there!"

Source: www.aljazeera.com