Zverev Reaches US Open Semi-Finals, Set to Face Khachanov

Alexander Zverev walked off Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night looking less like a man relieved and more like one who knows exactly where he’s heading.

Back to the sharp end of a Grand Slam. Again.

The German powered past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 in New York to book his place in the US Open semi-finals, his third last-four appearance at Flushing Meadows and the 13th Grand Slam semi-final of his career. Next up: Karen Khachanov, in a heavyweight baseline duel with a place in the final on the line.

Zverev’s long road, short match

This fortnight has not been kind to Zverev’s legs. His first two matches went the distance, both five-set marathons that dragged his total court time into punishing territory. By the time he walked out to face van de Zandschulp, he had already spent 16 hours and 40 minutes on court — the most by any men’s semi-finalist at the US Open since 1991.

You would not have known it from the scoreline.

The start, though, was anything but smooth. Zverev opened with five double faults, his serve jerking rather than flowing, giving the Dutchman a glimpse of vulnerability. But once he settled, the pattern hardened quickly. He broke in the fifth game of the opening set, found his length on the return, and never looked back, sweeping the set 6-2.

The second set offered van de Zandschulp his only real window. The Dutchman pushed, threatened to level, and for a few games dragged Zverev into the kind of physical rallies that have defined the German’s campaign in New York. Just as the momentum seemed to tilt, Zverev snapped it away. From the business end of the set, he reeled off three straight games, ripping the frame from his opponent’s hands to take it 7-5.

Once that door closed, the match was effectively over.

Zverev broke early in the third, tightened his service games, and began to swing with the freedom of a man who could suddenly sense a shorter workday. The rallies shortened, the scoreboard accelerated, and van de Zandschulp’s resistance crumbled. A 6-1 third set sealed a straight-sets win that felt like a release after the grind of the opening rounds.

The victory also carried a slice of history. Zverev is the only player this season to reach the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments, underlining a year of relentless consistency at the very top level. For a man who lost the 2020 US Open final from two sets up, Flushing Meadows continues to offer both scars and opportunity.

Khachanov advances as Bloxs breaks down

Waiting for Zverev is Karen Khachanov, who arrived at the semi-finals by a very different route — one shaped by an opponent’s body giving way.

The Russian led Belgian Alexander Bloxs 6-2, 7-5, 3-2 when the quarter-final ended abruptly with a retirement. Bloxs had come into the match already carrying a rib injury, and his appearance on court told the story: brace on his right ankle, bandage on his thigh, constant attention from the medical staff.

He tried to compete. He could not truly move.

Khachanov did what professionals at this level must do: he pressed, held his level, and refused to let the situation become messy. The first set went 6-2 his way, controlled and clean. The second was tighter, Bloxs fighting through pain to hang on, but Khachanov still found a way to edge it 7-5. When the Belgian finally stopped at 3-2 in the third, the outcome felt inevitable, even if the manner of it did not.

For Khachanov, the significance is clear. This is his first US Open semi-final since 2022 and his first appearance in a Grand Slam last four since the 2023 Australian Open. A player who has often lurked on the fringes of the very elite now stands one match away from another major final.

A semi-final with weight

So the stage is set: Zverev, the ironman of this US Open, against Khachanov, the heavy hitter who has slipped quietly back into the late rounds of the sport’s biggest stages.

One arrives with hours of tennis in his legs but a straight-sets win finally in his pocket. The other comes fresher, his quarter-final cut short but his confidence restored by a deep run.

Both know what it feels like to stand on the brink of a Grand Slam final. Only one will get there this weekend in New York.