No. 1 Alexander Zverev wins in 5 sets, Coco Gauff starts her quest for a second US Open title

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev has the No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time and the belief that comes from finally winning a major title.

Then he nearly had a quick exit from the U.S. Open.

The French Open champion rallied just in time to edge Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted 4 hours, 52 minutes and ended early Wednesday morning.

Two nights after No. 4 seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was eliminated with a five-set loss, Zverev nearly became another top player ousted from an event that top-ranked Jannik Sinner had to miss because of a right knee injury.

That moved the No. 2-ranked Zverev up to the No. 1 seed in the U.S. Open, and if he had lost he would have been the first man on the top line to fall in the first round of a major since Lleyton Hewitt lost to Ivo Karlovic at Wimbledon in 2003.

“I'm happy that I won this kind of battle,” Zverev said. “This is exactly the match that I needed.”

Coco Gauff had an easier time, opening her quest for a second U.S. Open title by beating Zeynep Sonmez 6-3, 6-4, regaining control midway through the second set after her opponent from Turkey picked up her play.

“I know that I can raise my level if I need to do and I like to challenge my opponent to let them keep up the level the whole match,” Gauff said. “And if they do, I clap my hands and I walk off court with my head held high.”

Instead, she's walking into a second-round match against either Paula Badosa or Daria Kasatkina.

On a rainy day in New York, nothing could dampen the spirits inside Louis Armstrong Stadium.

First, Gael Monfils won on his 40th birthday to extend his Grand Slam career, with fans singing happy birthday to the Frenchman afterward. He was followed by No. 17 Alex Eala, who beat Mary Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 in front of her many Filipino fans.

Gauff was battling serving woes when she arrived in Flushing Meadows last year and began working with a new coach on the eve of the tournament. There wasn't time to fix her problems and Gauff had to battle though a rocky opener before getting easily ousted by Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

Gauff returned this year with the confidence and momentum of a serious contender, winning the title in Cincinnati after semifinal runs at Wimbledon and Toronto.

She also won the hard-court tournament in Cincinnati in 2023 before going on to become the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open title since Serena Williams in 1999, topping Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Flavio Cobolli rallied from two sets down to avoid an early upset on the men’s side, and his wasn't even the most dramatic comeback Tuesday.

Maria Sakkari fell behind 6-2, 4-0 once she was finally able to get on the court after the rain stopped, then the No. 32 seed rallied to edge Robin Montgomery 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.

“Just kept telling myself that everything is possible and just try to get myself in a good place mentally and just try to be a little bit more positive, try to make more balls, get myself into the match,” said Sakkari, who reached the U.S. Open and Wimbledon semifinals in 2021. “Because, I mean, everyone’s very good in tennis nowadays, but specifically that girl I played today doesn't have the experience that I do. So I just told myself, let’s try and hang in there, try and make more balls, and it worked.”

Cobolli, the No. 5 seed and French Open runner-up, beat Francisco Comesana 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, finishing his match that lasted 4 hours, 12 minutes not long after some sun had broken through the clouds and allowed play to start on all the outside courts.

Cobolli made his first career two-set comeback to avoid joining No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 10 Arthur Fils among early losers in a men's draw that was already missing top-ranked Jannik Sinner, Cobolli's fellow Italian who was unable to play in the tournament because of a right knee injury.

He said he took a bathroom break after the second set and decided to change everything he was wearing.

“In Grand Slams it’s never done. You have to fight until the last point,” Cobolli said.

French Open champion Mirra Andreeva and 2024 U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz had smooth sailing. Fritz, the No. 9 seed, rolled to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over 18-year-old fellow American Darwin Blanch. Andreev beat Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-2.

Showers that began Monday night and would possibly be on and off through the middle of the week delayed play on all the outer courts, allowing for action only in Ashe and Armstrong, which have retractable roofs.

Rain returned Tuesday night, again restricting play to two courts and meaning some first-round matches won't be completed before Wednesday.

Madison Keys, the No. 22 seed, beat 19-year-old Alina Korneeva 7-5, 6-4 in the leadoff match in Ashe. The 2017 U.S. Open runner-up was knocked off in the first round last year in Flushing Meadows.

“It’s always tough playing someone young and up and coming, and they’re going after their shots,” Keys said. “And it’s so hard to play a first round of a Grand Slam, so nervous and just wanting to do so well. So, really happy I was able to kind of fight through that and win today.”

Play finally began outdoors in the middle of the afternoon, when No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina beat Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2. Frodin, a 17-year-old from California, was the body double for actor Demi Singleton, who played Serena Williams, in the 2021 film “King Richard.”

No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic, who teamed with Cobolli to reach the mixed doubles final, lost to Yulia Putintseva in three sets.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Alexander Zverev, of Germany, acknowledges fans after defeating Lorenzo Sonego, of Italy, in five sets in the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships early Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, reacts during her match against Mary Stoiana, of the United States, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Gael Monfils, of France, celebrates after defeating Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Coco Gauff, of the United States, hits a return to Zeynep Sonmez, of Turkey, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Coco Gauff, of the United States, reacts to the crowd during her match against Zeynep Sonmez, of Turkey, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Flavio Cobolli, of Italy, celebrates winning a match against Francisco Comesana, of Argentina, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Flavio Cobolli, of Italy, returns the ball to Francisco Comesana, of Argentina, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Flavio Cobolli, of Italy, reacts during a match against Francisco Comesana, of Argentina, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A crew member walks across the court at Grandstand stadium during a rain delay at the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Madison Keys, of the United States, returns the ball to Alina Korneeva, of Russia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A couple sits under an umbrella during a rain delay on the Grandstand court during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is wrapping up his visit to Uruguay on Sunday by marking an important Catholic feast day that is tied to the country’s independence, capping his effort to draw attention to the role the church has played in Latin America’s most secular country.

Leo was traveling to the city of Florida, north of Montevideo, before heading to Argentina for the second leg of his three-nation tour of South America. It's expected to be the most politically delicate, given the Catholic Church's sharp criticisms of the austerity program of libertarian President Javier Milei.

For his final event in Uruguay, Leo was commemorating the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three. Every year, thousands of pilgrims flock to the city to pray before the small wooden icon of the Virgin Mary.

According to tradition, 33 independence patriots acquired the Guaraní statue and had it with them when independence was declared from the Brazilian empire in Florida on Aug. 25, 1825.

Leo became the first pope in nearly four decades to visit Uruguay, in hopes of reminding its people that the Catholic Church is part of their very identity as a nation — even if in subsequent decades the country went on a deeply secular, and at times anticlerical, route.

Leo was hoping to leave a final parting message before opening the second leg of his South American trip, which he went ahead with despite having undergone surgery Oct. 13 to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. The final stop is in Peru, his second homeland.

Leo, 71, has appeared in fine form at his events, singing loudly, bounding up stairs and gamely greeting the crowds in his popemobile. He has not cut any events short, including those that have kept him out until past midnight Rome time.

“This visit will also serve to reinforce the image of Leo as a leader, not merely in a spiritual sense, but in a much broader capacity as a political leader and a widely recognized figure who, far from shying away from conflict or tension, offers a powerful perspective and commands a highly respected voice,” said Luis Bahamondes, a professor at the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Chile.

Milei is due to meet Leo at the Buenos Aires airport and then the two will appear together for the traditional welcome ceremony and exchange of speeches. The encounter could be tense, given Milei’s austerity measures that have slashed social spending, and his embrace of artificial intelligence.

Milei’s sweeping spending cuts have greatly strained relations with Argentine church leaders, who have criticized his government for putting economic orthodoxy ahead of the needs of the poor.

Since taking office in December 2023, for example, Milei has slashed Argentina’s health care budget by 48% in real terms. Planned cuts to the public university system, which represents a near-universal point of pride in the crisis-prone country, sent students into the streets.

Much like its allies in the Trump administration, Milei's government has portrayed the cuts as part of a necessary reform process to remake Argentina’s troubled economy and eliminate fraud and waste in the federal bureaucracy.

According to official data, poverty in Argentina reached 32.3% of the population during the first half of 2026, representing about 15 million people.

Milei has also courted AI investment and data centers with promises of limited regulation. Leo has warned about the threats to humanity and the environment of the AI race and called for strict, internationally policed safeguards on its development.

In Argentina, Leo is very much completing unfinished business left by his predecessor, Pope Francis. The Argentine Jesuit, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, never returned home during his 12-year pontificate, confounding friends and foes alike.

“There’s a lot of disagreement over Francis and his legacy in Argentina,” said David Lantigua, a theology professor and faculty fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute, which focuses especially on Latin American affairs.

Much of the polemics stems from his tenure in Buenos Aires, when the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a sometimes divisive partisan figure in a politically polarized country. Bergoglio was a slum priest, who advocated for the poorest and most marginalized — the sector of Argentines who have been feeling Milei’s social spending cuts the most.

“I think we’ll see that kind of tension with Leo — that’s the ministry Francis left behind,” Lantigua said.

Leo, who spent two decades as a missionary priest in Peru ministering to poor people, is very much a pastor in Francis' image and owes his pontificate to the late pope.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV arrives too lead a vigil payer at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Pope Leo XIV leads a vigil prayer at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Faithful listen to Pope Leo XIV leading a prayer vigil at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Mazzarovich)

Pope Leo XIV leads a prayer vigil at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, on the second day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Leo XIV is cheered by faithful as he arrives for a prayer vigil at Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, on the second day of his twelve-day apostolic journey to South America, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)