Alexander Zverev has moved into his second US Open final, continuing his impressive pursuit of a second Grand Slam title this season. The top seed delivered a commanding performance to defeat Russian opponent Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6) in New York.
The 29-year-old German, who claimed his first major trophy at the French Open in June and reached the Wimbledon final in July, now awaits his opponent for Sunday’s championship match. He will face either eighth seed Ben Shelton or 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, who are scheduled to compete in Friday’s night session.
Reflecting on the upcoming final, Zverev noted the special atmosphere expected at the venue, stating, “I think it will be incredibly special especially, these two guys are crowd favourites and everyone loves them.” He added, “Tonight will be an epic semi-final and I am looking forward to watching it. Hopefully I can not make their American dream come true.”
Zverev’s path to the final has been marked by remarkable consistency, as he has reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments this year, aided by the injury-related absences of world number one Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Although he struggled early in the tournament—requiring five sets in each of his first two matches—he has not dropped a set since.
The player admitted his early form was poor, recalling, “After the second round, at about 3am I was sitting with my team in the locker room and we were laughing at how bad I was playing. That sense of humour helped me. I obviously have improved a bit otherwise I would not be in the US Open final.”
During the opening set, Zverev dominated by winning 13 of 15 points on his first serve and securing every point at the net, eventually breaking Khachanov to take a 5-3 lead before closing out the set. Khachanov mounted a challenge in the second, forcing a tie-break after saving a set point with a notable 22-shot rally, but Zverev ultimately prevailed.
The third set remained tight as both players held serve throughout, leading to another tie-break. Khachanov initially took control, but Zverev saved two set points before clinching the victory when the Russian hit a forehand long. This win marks Zverev’s sixth major final appearance, offering him a chance to redeem his 2020 US Open campaign, which ended in a narrow five-set defeat to Dominic Thiem.
Following the final point, Zverev celebrated by facing his coaching team before meeting Khachanov at the net. Despite facing pressure from the world number 50 throughout the match, Zverev remained in control, successfully navigating the critical moments to secure his place in the tournament’s showpiece event. The report also notes that saving set point with a magnificent backhand to polish off a 22-shot rally, khachanov fought back after going a break down early in the second set and forced a tie-break. The report also notes that live scores, results and order of play.
