NEW YORK — Alexander Zverev is suddenly looking every bit like the man to beat at the US Open.
After surviving nearly five hours in his opening match and battling through another five-set test in the second round, the German top seed has transformed a shaky start in New York into his deepest and most convincing stretch of the tournament.
Zverev defeated Dutch giant-killer Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the men’s semifinals, moving within two victories of his second Grand Slam title of the season.
His next opponent, however, carries a warning from the past.
Karen Khachanov awaits in Friday’s semifinal, setting up a reunion of the two men who contested the Tokyo Olympic gold-medal match in 2021.
Zverev won that match comfortably.
But their rivalry has not remained one-sided.
Khachanov has since proven he can hurt the German on hard courts—including a dramatic victory in Toronto last year—and that makes the next round considerably more dangerous than the rankings alone suggest.
From Nearly Going Home to Three Wins From the Trophy
Zverev’s position looked far less comfortable when the tournament began.
The 29-year-old was pushed to the brink by Lorenzo Sonego in the first round, surviving a four-hour, 53-minute five-set battle after coming within two points of defeat in the fourth set.
His second-round match against Quentin Halys also went five sets.
Those early struggles made Zverev’s championship credentials look uncertain despite entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed.
But the German has steadily sharpened his game.
He dismissed Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets in the third round, followed that with another straight-sets victory over 21st seed Luciano Darderi, and then eliminated Van de Zandschulp without dropping a set.
Zverev admitted that his level in the opening rounds had been far from what he wanted, but said the best-of-five format gave him enough time to fight his way into form.
That progression may now be one of the biggest storylines of the men’s tournament.
Van de Zandschulp Had Already Survived a Marathon
Zverev’s quarterfinal opponent entered the match having endured one of the tournament’s most exhausting contests.
Van de Zandschulp needed five hours and 13 minutes to defeat Arthur Gea in the fourth round after facing match point, making it the fourth-longest US Open match since the introduction of the tiebreak in 1970, according to the tournament.
The Dutchman had built a reputation as a dangerous upset specialist and previously scored major victories over some of the sport’s biggest names.
But Zverev never allowed another shock to develop.
Even after committing five double faults early in the match, the German took advantage of Van de Zandschulp’s forehand mistakes to seize the first set.
The second set was considerably tighter.
Van de Zandschulp threatened to drag the match level, but Zverev took control late, winning three consecutive games to move two sets ahead.
From there, the contest unravelled quickly for the Dutchman.
An early break in the third set gave Zverev complete control, and the German closed out the match to reach his third US Open semifinal.
Zverev Just Broke a Boris Becker Record
The victory also delivered a significant piece of German tennis history.
Zverev now has 23 Grand Slam match victories in 2026, surpassing Boris Becker’s previous German men’s record of 22 major wins in a single season, set in 1989.
That statistic reflects just how consistently Zverev has performed at the majors this year.
He reached the Australian Open semifinals, captured his long-awaited first Grand Slam title at the French Open, reached the Wimbledon final, and has now made the final four in New York.
Before his quarterfinal, the US Open noted that Zverev was the only man to have reached at least the quarterfinals of all four majors in 2026.
That makes this season arguably the strongest Grand Slam campaign of his career.
The French Open Changed the Pressure
For years, the biggest question around Zverev was whether he could finally win one of tennis’ four major championships.
He had come agonizingly close.
He surrendered a two-set lead to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, then finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 2024 before suffering more major disappointments.
That narrative changed in Paris this year when Zverev finally captured the French Open.
He then reached the Wimbledon final, where his bid for consecutive Grand Slam crowns ended against Jannik Sinner.
New York therefore presents a different kind of pressure.
Zverev is no longer trying to prove he can become a major champion.
He is trying to establish himself as a player capable of winning majors repeatedly.
And with Sinner absent from this year’s tournament because of a knee injury, the draw opened in a way that made Zverev’s top-seed status even more significant.
But Khachanov Is No Routine Semifinal
Standing between Zverev and another US Open final is a player whose current ranking does not tell the whole story.
Khachanov, a former world No. 8, advanced to the semifinals after Belgium’s Alexander Blockx retired from their quarterfinal because of physical problems.
The Russian was leading 6-2, 7-5, 3-2 when the match ended.
It is Khachanov’s second US Open semifinal and third major semifinal overall.
His previous run in New York came in 2022, while he also reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2023. He has yet to reach a Grand Slam final.
But his path through this year’s tournament suggests he should not be dismissed as an outsider.
Khachanov knocked out third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets earlier in the tournament and later survived a five-set battle against American youngster Learner Tien.
Then there is the matchup itself.
Zverev Leads Their Rivalry — With One Important Catch
The official US Open records Zverev as leading Khachanov 6-3 overall.
But there is an intriguing detail: all three of Khachanov’s victories have come on hard courts.
One of the most recent came at the 2025 Canadian Open in Toronto, where Khachanov saved a match point before defeating Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in the semifinals.
Zverev did gain revenge shortly afterwards in Cincinnati.
Their most famous meeting, however, remains Tokyo.
In the 2021 Olympic final, Zverev defeated Khachanov 6-3, 6-1 to capture the singles gold medal.
Now they meet again on one of tennis’ biggest stages—with considerably more at stake.
One Match From Another US Open Final
For Zverev, reaching another final in New York would carry special significance.
His 2020 defeat remains one of the most painful moments of his career. He led Thiem by two sets before losing the title in a fifth-set tiebreak.
Six years later, Zverev returns to the semifinal stage as a very different player.
He is a French Open champion.
He has been to multiple major finals.
And after laboring through the opening rounds at Flushing Meadows, his tennis appears to be improving precisely when the tournament is becoming most important.
The men’s semifinals are scheduled for Friday, September 11, with the championship match to follow over the weekend.
The numbers make Zverev the favorite against Khachanov.
His form increasingly supports that argument.
But there is one uncomfortable fact the German will know better than anyone:
The man waiting across the net has beaten him before on hard courts—and is now one victory away from the first Grand Slam final of his career.
Leave a Reply