Alexander Zverev held his nerve through two tie-breaks to defeat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) in the US Open semi-finals on Thursday, securing a spot in his third consecutive Grand Slam final.
The German top seed, playing his first major as world No. 1 following Jannik Sinner's knee withdrawal before the tournament, produced a composed performance on Arthur Ashe Stadium despite Khachanov's relentless challenge across two hours and 17 minutes.
Zverev claimed the opening set comfortably, breaking Khachanov early and controlling rallies with his powerful serve and forehand. But the Russian, who had defeated the seeded Casper Ruud in the previous round, raised his level dramatically in the second set, pushing Zverev deep into a tie-break. Khachanov held set points at 6-5 in the breaker but could not convert, and Zverev clinched it 9-7 when the 27th seed sent a forehand long.
The third set followed a similar pattern. Khachanov again found his range and forced another tie-break, where he raced to a 4-1 lead with two set points. Zverev, drawing on the experience of his recent Grand Slam finals runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, saved both and won six of the next seven points to close out the match.
"It was extremely tough," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "Karen played an incredible match. I had to dig very deep, especially in those tie-breaks. I'm just happy to be in another final."
The result means Zverev will contest a sixth career Grand Slam final on Sunday, where he will face either American Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe. It is his first US Open final since 2020, when he lost to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets.
Zverev arrives at the championship match in strong form. He won the French Open in June for his maiden Grand Slam title and reached the Wimbledon final, where he fell to Sinner in five sets. With Sinner absent, the 29-year-old has been the tournament's dominant figure, dropping just one set en route to the final.
For Khachanov, the defeat ends an impressive run to the last four. The Russian, ranked 28th in the world, had not reached a Grand Slam semi-final since the 2022 US Open, where he went on to lose to Carlos Alcaraz.
Sunday's final will be broadcast live from Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Zverev looking to become the first German man to win the US Open since Boris Becker in 1989.
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/12/alexander-zverev-holds-his-nerve-against-karen-khachanov-to-reach-us-open-final
- https://www.tennismajors.com/us-open-news/zverev-survives-two-tie-breaks-he-was-losing-against-khachanov-to-reach-a-third-straight-grand-slam-final-860742.html
