Alexander Zverev defeats Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach US Open final

Semifinal victory over Khachanov

Alexander Zverev secured his place in the US Open final on Friday after defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in New York. The 29-year-old German broke Khachanov early to take the opening set before prevailing in two closely contested tiebreakers during the afternoon session. Khachanov, the world No. 50, arrived in New York with a losing record for the season but advanced to his third career Grand Slam semifinal and his second at the US Open. The Russian had previously reached semifinals at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open, but had not progressed past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament since the 2023 French Open. Against Zverev, Khachanov struggled to match his opponent's baseline power and directed too many balls into the German's backhand while hesitating on key attacking opportunities. The victory marks Zverev's 13th consecutive set won at Flushing Meadows after surviving five-set matches in each of the first two rounds that concluded past 2 a.m. and pushed his total tournament court time past 19 hours.

Season form and consecutive finals

The victory improves Zverev's match record at Grand Slam tournaments to 24-2 in 2026 and earns him a third straight appearance in a Grand Slam final. He is only the seventh man this century to achieve three or more consecutive Grand Slam finals, joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner. Federer established the record with 10 consecutive finals. Zverev claimed his first Grand Slam title at the French Open this year by defeating Italy's Flavio Cobolli, then reached the final at Wimbledon, where he lost to Sinner. With both Alcaraz and Sinner sidelined by injuries at different stages of the season, Zverev has taken advantage of the field to reach finals across clay, grass, and hard courts.

Return to the final in New York

Sunday marks Zverev's second career US Open final. In 2020, he reached the final against Dominic Thiem in front of a near-empty stadium due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Zverev won the first two sets before Thiem mounted a comeback to win the match in a fifth-set tiebreaker. Thiem was the first player since 1949 to win the men's singles title in New York after dropping the opening two sets. Having held firm against Khachanov after establishing a two-set advantage on Friday, Zverev earned another opportunity to compete for the trophy.

American opponent and title drought

In Sunday's final, Zverev will face either No. 8 seed Ben Shelton or No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe, who met in the second semifinal on Friday. Both American players have reached semifinals in Flushing Meadows in previous years, but neither has contested a Grand Slam final. The winner will attempt to end a 23-year drought for American men in Grand Slam singles, with Andy Roddick remaining the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2003 US Open. Zverev enters the championship match with a 5-0 career record against Shelton and a 9-1 record against Tiafoe.