Zverev battled past France's Quentin Halys in another five-setter as he bagged a win 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7\/3), 6-7 (3\/7), 6-3 in a demanding four-hour and 33-minute marathon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Zverev called his performance a \"pretty s***\" and credited his workouts for helping him to emerge victorious in tough situations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"The performance was quite s***, to be honest,\" Zverev said in his candid on-court interview. \"But I won, and that\u2019s the most important thing. I\u2019ve been here for another four and a half hours. 2:15 a.m again,\" added Zverev, who took his shirt off after winning the tiring battle against the Frenchman.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"That\u2019s what I go to the gym for. That\u2019s what I go to the track for and train for \u2014 to be able to come out on top of these difficult moments when you\u2019re not playing your best, when you\u2019re not hitting winners left and right, just getting through these kinds of matches,\" he further said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Zverev had to dig deep for the second round in a row after having defeated 89th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego in a five-setter that kept him playing until shortly before 2 am local time. His second straight five-setter made the German the first-ever top seed in a Grand Slam to play two straight five-setters in the opening two rounds in the Open Era.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"That\u2019s what I go to the gym for. That\u2019s what I go to the track for and train for \u2014 to be able to come out on top of these difficult moments when you\u2019re not playing your best, when you\u2019re not hitting winners left and right, just getting through these kinds of matches,\" he further said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He defeated Tabilo in the first round at Flushing Meadows in 2025 in straight sets and had got the better of him at the Italian Open 2024 in the semifinal after dropping the first set.<\/p>\r\n\r\n