Alexander Zverev Eyes Second Major Title at US Open Final
Alexander Zverev once wore the label no player wants: best man never to win a major. Now he’s hunting his second of the year – and he’d quite like to delay America’s long-awaited celebration a little longer.
The German marched into the US Open final with a 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6) win over Karen Khachanov, a straight-sets scoreline that barely hints at the tension that crackled through Arthur Ashe Stadium.
On Monday morning (AEST), Zverev will face either number eight seed Ben Shelton or number 11 Frances Tiafoe, two homegrown showmen chasing a piece of history. Neither has reached a major final. One of them will walk on court as the first American man to play for a grand slam title since Andy Roddick in 2006.
The country has waited even longer for a champion. Roddick’s 2003 triumph in New York remains the last men’s major won by an American.
“Hopefully I can not make the American dream come true,” Zverev said, half-smiling, fully serious.
A season transformed
For years, Zverev’s grand slam story was one of near-misses and nagging doubts. That script has been shredded in 2024.
He finally cracked the code at Roland Garros, lifting his first major trophy on the Paris clay. He backed it up by reaching the Wimbledon final, losing only to Jannik Sinner. His record in the majors this season now stands at a staggering 24 wins and just 2 defeats.
“Sometimes just things go your way and I feel like I've had a lot of struggles at the major level. I was so close so many times and maybe this year God has said that this is going to be your year and just enjoy the time on the court,” he said.
Enjoyment hasn’t always been the word associated with Zverev in New York. The US Open is where one of his most painful scars was cut.
In 2020, he led Dominic Thiem by two sets in the final and still contrived to lose in a fifth-set tiebreak. Thiem became the first man since 1949 to win the US Open after dropping the opening two sets. Zverev walked away that night with a runner-up plate and a lifetime of what-ifs.
He has carried that memory with him ever since. Now he’s back in the title match, determined not to let another one slip.
Khachanov pushes, Zverev holds firm
This semifinal looked, on paper, like a mismatch. Zverev, the top seed at a major for the first time after Sinner’s withdrawal with a knee injury, against Khachanov, who arrived in New York with a losing record for the season.
But the Russian has a habit of finding his game on the sport’s biggest stages. This was his third grand slam semifinal and his second at Flushing Meadows. He was also chasing a slice of history of his own, trying to become the lowest-ranked US Open finalist since the ATP rankings began in 1973.
Zverev was sharp early. He took the opening set 6-3, his serve clicking, his baseline game clean and heavy. Khachanov looked flat, almost overawed, and when he slipped behind 2-0 in the second set, the contest threatened to run away from him.
That’s when his level surged.
The Russian began to swing freely, stepping inside the baseline, thumping forehands and finally breaking Zverev’s serve to drag himself back to 2-2. The set turned into a grind, both men trading long, physical rallies until they were forced into a tiebreak.
The pressure ratcheted up. Khachanov erased Zverev’s first two set points, refusing to yield. Then came the point of the night – a 34-shot exchange that pushed both players to the edge. Zverev blinked last, winning the rally and the set, 9-7 in the breaker.
That blow would have broken plenty of opponents. Khachanov refused to fold.
In the third-set tiebreak, he surged ahead 3-0, then 5-2, sensing a lifeline. The crowd, thin by New York standards but growing louder with every twist, tried to will a fourth set into existence.
Zverev shut the door.
He tightened his patterns, cut out the errors, and reeled Khachanov back in. Point by point, the deficit disappeared. The German completed the comeback in the breaker 8-6, sealing a straight-sets win that was anything but routine.
Khachanov’s level across the last two sets, especially on return and in the rallies, would likely have been enough to beat the version of Zverev that stumbled through the opening rounds. But this was a different Zverev – hardened by miles, sharpened by pressure.
From early struggles to unstoppable run
It’s easy to forget how shaky this fortnight began for the top seed.
Zverev became the first number one seed in men’s singles history to be dragged to five sets in each of his first two matches at a major. Lorenzo Sonego pushed him to the brink. Quentin Halys did the same. Across those two matches, he spent nearly nine and a half hours on court.
He admitted the level was nowhere near where it needed to be.
He and his team chose to laugh about it.
“He said he and his team laughed about how poorly he was playing after the second match. ‘That kind of sense of humour, it helped me,’ Zverev said. ‘Moving forward, I was playing much better tennis. Obviously I have improved a little bit. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in the US Open final.’”
Since then, he has been ruthless. Thirteen consecutive sets. The game tightening, the confidence growing, the scars of 2020 turning into fuel rather than baggage.
American dream vs German resurgence
While Zverev and Khachanov battled in the undercard, the marquee act loomed.
Shelton vs Tiafoe on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, two charismatic Americans under the lights at Flushing Meadows, felt like the main event long before a ball was struck. Ticket prices for Zverev-Khachanov reflected that, sitting at unexpectedly low levels for a grand slam semifinal.
The American public wants a home champion again. They’ve waited more than two decades. Shelton and Tiafoe, both previous US Open semifinalists, now stand one win from the final and two from ending that drought.
Zverev has other plans.
He has already broken through the barrier that once defined him. He has already turned this season into the best of his career. Now he walks back into the arena where he once let a title slip from his grasp, armed with a major in his pocket, a 24-2 slam record this year, and a streak of 13 straight sets behind him.
One more win in New York, and the man who used to wait for his moment might be the one keeping a whole nation waiting for theirs.
