Alexander Zverev Reaches Third Straight Grand Slam Final

Alexander Zverev marched into a third straight Grand Slam final with the conviction of a man who now expects these stages, not just dreams of them.

The top seed dismantled Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6) at the US Open, a straight-sets scoreline that only hints at the tension threaded through the night. When the pressure peaked, Zverev held his nerve. Every time.

A favourite who finally looks like one

New York arrived with a different Zverev. Not in style – the heavy serve, the deep return position, the grinding rallies are all familiar – but in aura.

He is now a Grand Slam champion after his French Open breakthrough in June. He backed that up with a run to the Wimbledon final, where he fell in four sets to world number one Jannik Sinner. Those near-misses used to define him. Now they feel like staging posts.

With Sinner and defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz hampered by injuries this season, Zverev has become the constant presence at the sharp end of the majors. All four Grand Slams, all four semi-finals reached. In New York, that reliability has hardened into authority.

It did not start that way. He needed five sets in each of his opening two rounds and admitted those early struggles became a running joke in the locker room.

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

From the third round on, he has not dropped a set.

Control from the first ball

Against world number 50 Khachanov, Zverev set the tone immediately. The first serve landed heavy, the patterns clicked, the scoreboard moved his way.

He won 13 of 15 points behind his first serve in the opening set and all nine points at the net. When the first real chance came, at 4-3, he pounced, breaking to love to go 5-3 up. One calm hold later, the set was his.

Khachanov, though, is not built to fade quietly. He clawed his way into the second set after dropping an early break, and the rallies grew longer, more punishing. Zverev still carved out a set point, only for Khachanov to erase it with a gorgeous backhand winner at the end of a lung-busting 22-shot exchange.

That felt like a turning point. It was. Just not for the Russian.

The tie-break became the pivotal passage of the match. Zverev stepped in, took the initiative, and again forced a set point. This time he would not let it slip, outlasting Khachanov in a draining baseline rally, his defence stubborn, his footwork sharp, his decision-making clear. Two sets up, one foot in Sunday.

Surviving the last push

The third set turned into a serving contest, both men locked in, both refusing to blink. No breaks. Not even a break point. Every service game felt like a small truce before the next battle.

The tie-break finally cracked it open. Khachanov settled faster, surged ahead, and earned two set points. The match teetered on the edge of a fourth set and a very different night.

Zverev shut the door.

He saved both set points with the same composure that has defined his summer. From there he surged, tightening his grip as Khachanov’s belief drained. On match point, the Russian pulled a forehand long, and Zverev let the moment wash over him.

Arms stretched wide, he turned to his coaching team, a release more than a roar. Then, as always, the walk to the net, the handshake, the reset.

This is his sixth major final. His second at the US Open. The last one here, in 2020, ended in heartbreak as Dominic Thiem came back from two sets down to deny him in five. That scar has lingered.

On Sunday, he will face either eighth seed Ben Shelton or 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, two Americans who will have Arthur Ashe Stadium roaring behind them.

“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.”

He is no longer chasing validation. He already has his first major, the scars of past collapses, the rhythm of deep runs.

Now he comes back to the scene of his most painful defeat with a different question hanging over Flushing Meadows: is this the fortnight when Alexander Zverev finally owns New York?