Alexander Zverev Advances to US Open Final After Dominating Khachanov

NEW YORK – Alexander Zverev walked back into a familiar New York night and looked entirely at home. Four years after heartbreak in the 2020 final, he is back in the US Open title match, sweeping past Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (8-6) on Sept 11 to move within one win of a second Grand Slam crown.

This is a very different Zverev from the one who nearly let the trophy slip through his fingers against Dominic Thiem. Now the reigning French Open champion, he has turned a bruising start to this tournament into a statement of authority. After going five sets in each of his opening two rounds, he has rattled off four straight matches without dropping a set. The result: a third consecutive Grand Slam final and a 24-2 record at the majors this season.

Zverev seizes control early

The tone was set quickly. Zverev broke first, dictating with his serve and forehand, and locked down the opening set 6-3. Khachanov, unseeded but dangerous, struggled to dent the German’s rhythm early on, repeatedly pushed back by the depth of Zverev’s returns.

Riding that surge, Zverev grabbed an early break in the second set as well. At that point, it looked like a procession. His serve, untouched for 37 consecutive service games, had become a wall Khachanov could not scale.

Then the Russian finally broke through.

Khachanov found his range from the back of the court, stepped inside the baseline, and snapped that long service streak with a timely break. The match suddenly tightened. Zverev’s control wavered, and the Arthur Ashe crowd sensed a contest rather than a coronation.

Tie-break tension

The pressure spiked in a gripping second-set tie-break that stretched to 14 tense minutes. Khachanov, swinging freely, repeatedly put Zverev under strain and flirted with turning the match on its head.

But when the points grew heavy, Zverev held his nerve. Khachanov blinked first, scattering errors at the most unforgiving moments. Zverev pounced, edging the breaker 9-7 and slamming the door on any serious momentum shift.

The third set mirrored the second. Khachanov again made a stand, again forced a tie-break, and again nosed in front. The Russian briefly looked ready to drag the contest into a fourth set as he pressed on Zverev’s second serve.

Zverev refused to yield. He clawed his way back, tightened his patterns, and coolly reeled in the deficit. When the chance came, he struck, turning the tie-break around 8-6 to seal his seventh win in 10 meetings with Khachanov.

No roaring celebration, no wild theatrics. Just a clenched fist and a quick glance to his box, the reaction of a man who expects to be here now.

One win from another major

Zverev’s return to the US Open final completes a remarkable run of consistency at the sport’s biggest stages. Three straight Grand Slam finals. Two different surfaces. One clear target.

Standing between him and the title will be an American: either Frances Tiafoe or Ben Shelton, the winner of the all-home semi-final, in the Sept 12 showdown at Flushing Meadows.

Four years ago, New York delivered Zverev his most painful defeat. This time, with a second major within reach and his game hardened by the scars of past failures, he walks back into the same arena with a chance to rewrite his story.