Zverev through to third Grand Slam final in a row

Alexander Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov at the US Open to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam final and keep alive his bid for a second major title of the year. The top‑seed German prevailed 6‑3, 7‑6 (9‑7), 7‑6 (8‑6) in a commanding performance. Zverev entered New York as the favourite after ending a long wait for a Grand Slam crown with his French Open victory in June. He had earlier contested the Wimbledon final in July, falling in four sets to world‑number‑one Jannik Sinner. At 29 years old, Zverev will meet either eighth‑seed Ben Shelton or 11th‑seed Frances Tiafoe in Sunday’s championship match, with the two Americans scheduled to clash in Friday night’s session. “I think it [Sunday] will be incredibly special especially, these 2 guys are crowd favourites and everyone loves them,” said Zverev. “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.” With Sinner and defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz hampered by injuries this season, Zverev has found the consistency needed to reach the semi‑finals of all four Grand Slam events. He began the New York tournament slowly, needing five sets to navigate his opening two matches, but has not dropped a set since. Although he faced brief moments of difficulty against world‑number‑50 Khachanov — saving two set points in the third set — Zverev remained firmly in control throughout. “After the 2nd round, at around 3am I was sitting with my team in the locker room and we were laughing at how bad I was playing,” Zverev said. “That sense of humor helped me. I obviously have improved a bit otherwise I would not be in the US Open final.” Zverev won 13 of 15 points on his first serve and captured all nine points at the net in the opening set, breaking Khachanov to take a 5‑3 lead before serving out the opener. Khachanov rallied after falling a break down early in the second set, forcing a tie‑break that he saved with a magnificent backhand to conclude a 22‑shot rally. In a pivotal moment of the match, Zverev seized the initiative to earn another set point, converting it as he outlasted Khachanov in a draining baseline exchange highlighted by strong defence. The third set saw both players hold serve without conceding a break point, leading to a second tie‑break. Khachanov settled quickly into the breaker, building a mini‑lead and earning two set points — some of which Zverev managed to fend off. From that point the top seed never relinquished his advantage, ultimately sealing victory when Khachanov sent a forehand long. After securing his sixth major‑final appearance, Zverev celebrated with arms wide, facing his coaching box before approaching the net to shake hands with Khachanov. The win sends Zverev to his second US Open final, recalling the heartbreaking five‑set loss to Dominic Thiem in 2020.