Alexander Zverev swept past Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the US Open semifinals for the first time since 2021, staying on course for a second Grand Slam title.
The German top seed, who won his maiden major at Roland Garros in June, delivered a commanding performance in two hours and 17 minutes against a Dutchman who had spent over five hours on court just two days earlier. With the win, Zverev became the only Grand Slam champion remaining in the men's draw and will face unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov in Friday's semifinal.
Zverev was erratic on serve early, firing five double faults in an opening set he still controlled. Van De Zandschulp's forehand errors gifted the 30th-ranked Dutchman few opportunities, and Zverev broke decisively in the fifth game before closing out the set in 37 minutes.
The second set proved far more competitive. Van De Zandschulp, buoyed by an epic five-set comeback over Gea in the fourth round, matched Zverev deep into the set and threatened to level the contest at 5-5. But the world number two absorbed the pressure, reeling off three consecutive games to take the set 7-5 and seize a stranglehold on the match.
The third set was a formality. Zverev broke twice early, racing to a 4-1 lead before wrapping up proceedings with characteristic efficiency. His stats told the story: 71% first serves in, 77% of points won behind his serve, eight aces and 22 winners across the match.
The victory carried personal significance for Zverev. His 23rd Grand Slam match win of 2026 surpassed Boris Becker's 1989 record of 22, and he reached all four major semifinals in a single season for the first time in his career. He is now bidding for a third consecutive Grand Slam final appearance, having reached the decider at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this year.
Zverev also offered a memorable off-court anecdote: having stayed up until 3:30am local time to watch Ben Shelton's dramatic five-set upset of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz — a match that finished at 3:34am, the latest end in tournament history — the top seed still turned up fresh for his own quarterfinal.
In the other semifinal, Shelton will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe, guaranteeing a home representative in Sunday's final. Khachanov, the lone unseeded player left, advanced after Belgian Alexander Blockx retired trailing 6-2, 7-5, 3-2.
For Zverev, the path to a second career major runs through a resurgent Khachanov and then either Shelton or Tiafoe. If his performance against Van De Zandschulp was any indication, the German is peaking at precisely the right moment.
Sources
- https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/9/10/zverev-defeats-van-de-zandschulp-in-straight-sets-to-enter-us-open-semis
- https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/articles/cdr7kmz2zx3o
- https://www.tennismajors.com/us-open-news/zverev-is-off-court-in-2-hours-17-minutes-and-into-a-first-us-open-semifinal-since-2021-860661.html
