By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 10, 2026
Photo credit: Pete Staples/USTA
NEW YORK—In the city that never sleeps, Alexander Zverev continues putting major records to rest.
The top-seeded Zverev did not drop serve dismissing Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 to power into his third US Open semifinal.
Roland Garros champion Zverev, who bowed to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic Australian Open five-set semifinal, is the ninth man in Open Era history to advance to all four Grand Slam semifinals in the same season.
Six years after his gut-wrenching US Open final collapse that saw him squander a two-set to love lead, Zverev continues a record-setting run in Flushing Meadows.
Zverev said while confidence can be fleeting, enduring consistency has helped him record his best Grand Slam season at age 29.
“I think the more often that you get to that stage, the more normal it becomes, which is something that you should never take for granted,” Zverev said of his semifinal success. “I think it’s a very special feeling when it becomes normality. I don’t take it for granted at all. I know it can change in a heartbeat in tennis.
“I think confidence is something that is incredibly important but also can go away quite quickly, and I found that out after Wimbledon where I didn’t play well throughout the two tournaments on the hard courts, and then I found it again here. But yeah, of course I’m happy with how things are going, but looking forward, I still hope to play two good matches here.”
The Olympic gold-medal champion scored his 23rd major match win of the season breaking the single-season record for most Grand Slam wins in a season set by Boris Becker (22). Zverev joined Becker (1987 Wimbledon, 1991 US Open) and German Davis Cup standout Baron Gottfried von Cramm (1935 French Open) as just the third German man in history to be the top seed at a major.
Zverev has won six of nine meetings vs. 50th-ranked semifinal opponent Karen Khachanov, including four of their last five meetings.
The 2022 US Open semifinalist Khachanov said commanding the center of the court, serving with authority and returning accurately are essential elements to toppling the top seed who has dominated him recently.
“I mean, look, with Zverev, definitely I will have to come up with the best form. I will have to, you know, have patience, still take the lead in the middle,” Khachanov said. “Playing basically same way that I was playing, you know, which is paying off.
“To take control in the middle, to dictate, but not to rush. You know, to build the point in the right way, and then whenever I see and I feel the chance, I need to change the pace, because just with regular pace, let’s say, with good speed, I mean, we will have to play for a long time, you know, (smiling).
“Somewhere have to make the difference. And obviously of course serve/return. This is with what you start. He has big, big first serve, great return. So I have to be focused on that, as well.”
Zverev, who leads the tournament with 72 aces, takes on Khachanov, the tournament leader in service breaks (32), on Friday.
The man who has traversed night adventures into early morning at this US Open is now one win from another Sunday afternoon final—six years after he blew a two-set lead falling to Dominic Thiem in a gut-wrenching 2000 final.
“I think the one that dominates the rallies from the baseline and is the one that is more aggressive will probably have the better outcome, for sure,” Zverev said “Because our games are quite similar, in a way, because we’re two quite tall guys who try to dominate from the baseline. So whoever can do that better I think will win.”
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