Alexander Zverev Dominates Khachanov to Reach US Open Final

Alexander Zverev marched into a third straight Grand Slam final with a ruthless, three-set dismissal of Karen Khachanov at the US Open – and under the New York lights, he looked every inch the man to beat.

The top seed, already a major champion this year after his breakthrough at Roland Garros, beat the Russian 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6) to reach his sixth Grand Slam final and his second in Flushing Meadows.

A favourite who’s playing like one

With Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz both hampered by injury this season, the draw has opened up. Zverev has done the rest. He has turned that gap at the top into a runway.

The 29-year-old arrived in New York as the form player of the season, fresh from his French Open title and a run to the Wimbledon final, where he fell in four sets to world number one Sinner. Here, he started sluggishly, dragged into five-set marathons in each of his first two matches. Since then, he has not surrendered a set.

That early turbulence is still fresh in his mind.

“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,” Zverev admitted on court. “That sense of humour helped me. I obviously have improved a bit otherwise I would not be in the US Open final.”

Improved is one word. Against Khachanov, he was clinical.

Statement start

Zverev set the tone from the opening games. He dominated behind his first serve, winning 13 of 15 points on it in the first set, and he was flawless when he ventured forward, taking all nine points at the net. The break came at 4-3, a heavy barrage of returns forcing Khachanov into error, and the German calmly served out the opener.

Khachanov, ranked 50 in the world, has the weight of shot to trouble anyone. He just never really got to dictate. Zverev kept him pinned back, changing direction off both wings, taking time away, and turning rallies into tests of endurance he was better equipped to pass.

Tie-break edge

The second set finally gave the Russian some air. Broken early, he clawed his way back, started to find his range, and dragged Zverev into the kind of brutal baseline exchanges that usually suit him. The pressure grew. The forehands got heavier. The crowd sensed a shift.

Khachanov saved a set point with a stunning backhand winner at the end of a 22-shot rally, the loudest roar of the night to that point. For a moment, it felt like the match might be about to crack open.

Zverev shut the door.

In the tie-break, he seized the initiative at the pivotal moment, stepping in on the return and then defending magnificently in another draining rally to earn a second set point. This time he converted, outlasting Khachanov in the kind of exchange that breaks belief as much as it breaks legs.

Two sets up, the top seed had control. He never really let it go.

Holding his nerve

The third set was a serving duel. No breaks. Not even a break point. Both men held with authority, the tension tightening with each changeover. Khachanov, to his credit, refused to fade, matching Zverev stride for stride and forcing a second tie-break.

This time the Russian jumped out quickly, settling faster and earning two set points. The match hung there, on the edge of turning into a long night.

Zverev ripped it away.

He saved both set points, leaning again on his first serve and his baseline resilience. From that moment he did not look back, reeling off the key points with the composure of a man who has spent the entire season learning how to close.

Khachanov finally blinked. On match point, he drove a forehand long. Zverev froze for a heartbeat, then spread his arms wide towards his coaching box, soaking in the moment before heading to the net to embrace his opponent.

A different New York return

This is Zverev’s second US Open final, four years after the first ended in heartbreak. In 2020 he led Dominic Thiem by two sets and still lost in five, a defeat that lingered over his early Grand Slam years.

He returns now as a very different proposition: a Grand Slam champion, a world number one contender, and a player who has reached all four major semi-finals this season. Consistency, once his great question mark, has become his calling card.

On Sunday he will face either eighth seed Ben Shelton or 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, with the two Americans set to light up the Friday night session.

“I think it will be incredibly special, especially, these two guys are crowd favourites and everyone loves them,” Zverev said. “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.”

New York loves a home story. Right now, though, the man rewriting the script is the one who has already turned this season into his own.