Alexander Zverev Dominates to Reach Third Straight Grand Slam Final

Alexander Zverev marched into a third straight Grand Slam final with a cold, ruthless display under the New York lights, dismantling Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (8-6) to keep alive his hunt for a second major title of the year.

The top seed arrived at Flushing Meadows as the man to beat. He left this semi-final looking every inch the favourite.

A man in command

For all the tension of a major semi-final, the opening set felt almost routine. Zverev’s serve set the tone. He won 13 of 15 points behind his first delivery, glided forward to take all nine points at the net, and cracked open Khachanov’s resistance with a break for 5-3. One composed hold later, the German had the first set in his pocket and barely a mark on his shirt.

Khachanov, ranked 50 in the world, needed chaos. He got a foothold instead.

Zverev broke early again in the second set, threatening to turn the night into a procession. Khachanov refused to fold, clawing his way back and finally landing some blows of his own from the back of the court. The rallies grew longer, heavier, more punishing. The Russian’s reward was a tie-break, and for a moment the match crackled.

Facing set point, Khachanov uncorked his best shot of the night, a stunning backhand winner to cap a 22-shot exchange that dragged the crowd into the contest. That should have swung the momentum. It didn’t.

The pressure finally told. In the pivotal passage of the match, Zverev stepped in, took the ball early, and forced another set point. This time he outlasted Khachanov in a draining baseline rally, his defence immaculate, his legs still fresh. Two sets to love. One foot in Sunday’s final.

Tie-break nerves, champion’s poise

The third set turned into a serving duel. No breaks. No chances. Not a single break point for either man.

Khachanov blinked first in neither play nor courage, but in the tie-break. He actually started better, jumping ahead and creating two set points, threatening to extend the night and test Zverev’s nerve.

Zverev slammed that door shut.

The top seed saved both set points with the calm of a man who has finally learned how to navigate these moments. From there he surged. Khachanov, chasing the line, pushed a forehand long to end it, his resistance finally broken after two hours and change of being pushed back, dragged wide, and asked the same brutal question over and over: can you hit through me?

The answer, ultimately, was no.

Zverev’s reaction said plenty. Arms spread wide, he turned to his coaching team, a long, almost defiant celebration from a player now into his sixth major final and his second at the US Open. Only then did he walk to the net to meet Khachanov, the handshake brief but respectful.

From 3am doubts to centre-stage certainty

This run has not been seamless. Zverev crept into the tournament, dragged to five sets in each of his opening two rounds. By his own admission, it was ugly.

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

He has not dropped a set since.

With Jannik Sinner – who beat him in the Wimbledon final in July – and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz both hindered by injuries this season, Zverev has found a ruthless consistency that has carried him to all four Grand Slam semi-finals in the same year. The long wait for a major ended in Paris in June with his French Open triumph. Now he stands one win away from turning 2024 into something even bigger.

A familiar stage, a different Zverev?

Sunday will bring a return to a court that once broke him. In 2020, Zverev led Dominic Thiem by two sets in the US Open final and still walked away in tears after a five-set collapse that haunted him for years.

He comes back a different player, a different presence.

The 29-year-old will face either Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe, two Americans with big games and bigger followings, set to light up Friday’s night session.

“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.”

This time, he arrives in New York not as the nearly man, but as the top seed, the French Open champion, and the one constant in a season scattered by injuries to his biggest rivals.

The stage is the same. The stakes are the same. The question is not whether Zverev is ready for another US Open final.

It’s whether anyone left in the draw can stop him.