Alexander Zverev Advances to US Open Final After Defeating Khachanov
Alexander Zverev marched past Karen Khachanov and into yet another Grand Slam final, tightening his grip on a season that is fast becoming the defining chapter of his career.
The top seed won 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6) at the US Open, a straight-sets scoreline that only hints at the tension that pulsed through Arthur Ashe Stadium at key moments. For long spells, though, this was Zverev at full command: serving with authority, defending with steel, and handling the biggest points with the composure of a man who now expects to be on this stage.
A season of majors, and another shot in New York
This is Zverev’s third consecutive Grand Slam final. French Open champion in June, Wimbledon runner-up to world number one Jannik Sinner in July, and now back in New York as the favourite, with Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner both hampered by injuries this year.
He has turned that gap at the top into opportunity. All four majors, all four semi-finals reached. Now a sixth career major final secured.
Zverev, 29, will face either Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe on Sunday, with the two Americans due to light up the night session in a semi-final tailored for a New York crowd.
“I think it will be incredibly special, especially, these two guys are crowd favourites and everyone loves them,” Zverev said on court. “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.”
The line drew a smile, but it carried an edge. This is his tournament to lose now, and he knows it.
From 3am doubts to a US Open final
Zverev’s campaign in New York did not begin like a champion’s procession. He needed five sets in each of his opening two matches, labouring through the early rounds while his form lagged behind his status as top seed.
“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,” he admitted. “That sense of humour helped me. I obviously have improved a bit otherwise I would not be in the US Open final.”
The improvement has been stark. Since that rocky start, he has not dropped a set.
Against world number 50 Khachanov, he faced pockets of danger, including two set points in the third-set tie-break. Each time, he shut the door.
A first set underlined by dominance on serve
From the opening games, Zverev’s serve set the tone. He won 13 of 15 points behind his first delivery in the first set and all nine points at the net. Every short ball from Khachanov was punished; every half-chance turned into pressure.
At 3-3, Zverev pounced. A clean break of serve for 5-3, then a routine hold, and the opener was his. Khachanov, who thrives when he can lean into rallies and impose his heavy groundstrokes, spent much of that set reacting rather than dictating.
Khachanov swings back, Zverev holds firm
The Russian refused to fold. Broken early in the second set, he clawed his way back, finally finding depth and weight on his forehand. The momentum shifted. The rallies lengthened. The contest caught fire.
Khachanov dragged the set into a tie-break and, at 6-5 down, produced one of the shots of the night: a blistering backhand to finish a 22-shot rally and save set point. For a moment, Zverev’s control wobbled.
But the pressure finally told. In a pivotal exchange, Zverev stepped in, took the initiative again and earned another set point. This time he converted, outlasting Khachanov in a draining baseline rally, his defence stretching the point until the Russian cracked.
Two sets up, the top seed had the scoreboard cushion. The match, though, was not done.
A knife-edge third set, decided in inches
The third set became a serving duel. Neither player offered a single break point. Both protected their games with precision, Khachanov refusing to let the match drift away, Zverev refusing to open the door.
The tie-break arrived, and it was Khachanov who struck first. He settled quicker, surged ahead, and carved out two set points. The crowd sensed a fourth set. Zverev did not.
He saved both, tightening his game at the very moment Khachanov needed one last clean strike. From there, the German surged. The top seed reeled off the key points with clinical calm, and when Khachanov finally sent a forehand long, the contest was over.
Zverev stood with arms stretched wide towards his coaching team, a brief, controlled release rather than wild celebration. Then a handshake at the net, a nod of respect to an opponent who had pushed him, but never quite pushed him over the edge.
This victory sends Zverev into his second US Open final, four years after the heartbreak of losing a five-set epic to Dominic Thiem in 2020. Back then, he let a first major slip from his grasp.
On Sunday, with a second Slam of the year on the line and a partisan American crowd likely roaring for the man across the net, he walks back into the same arena with a very different aura: no longer chasing his first big title, but hunting down a season that could redefine his place in the sport.
