Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns a shot to Andy Murray, of Great Britain, during the second round at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Aug 24, 2020, in New York. (PHOTO / AP)

NEW YORK- Fifth seed Alexander Zverev overcame a slow start to dispatch France’s Adrian Mannarino 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 6-2 at the US Open on Friday in a match that was delayed by health officials for over 2-1/2 hours.

The third-round clash was originally scheduled to start at 2.30 pm local time on Louis Armstrong Stadium but was pushed back while the United States Tennis Association conducted a “collaborative dialogue” with health officials.

ALSO READ: Defending champ Zverev beats error-prone Nadal at ATP Finals

Mannarino was placed under an “enhanced protocol plan” after coming in contact with fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire, who pulled out of the tournament having tested positive for COVID-19.

When the players finally arrived on court at 5.15 pm, Mannarino claimed the opening set in a tiebreak as an untidy Zverev posted 26 unforced errors.

READ MORE: Zverev downs Anderson in battle of big servers

But the German rediscovered his rhythm in the second set to find a way past Mannarino’s serve in the 10th game, unleashing a blistering forehand winner to get to one set apiece.

With momentum on his side, Zverev converted a further five break points opportunities to book a last-16 spot for the second consecutive year in New York.