Zverev Beats Van de Zandschulp to Reach US Open Semis

Top seed Alexander Zverev secured his place in the US Open semifinals on Wednesday night with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp. The result makes the German the only player, male or female, to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events in 2026. He will face Karen Khachanov on Friday for a spot in the final.

A Demanding Path to the Semifinals

Zverev endured an unprecedented start to his tournament, becoming the first men’s top seed in the Open era, which began in 1968, to be pushed to five sets in both the first and second rounds. Those opening matches each extended past four and a half hours, contributing to a total court time of 16 hours and 40 minutes to reach the final four. That duration is the longest for any male player entering the US Open semifinals since the ATP started tracking match times in 1991.

His physical workload decreased significantly in subsequent rounds. Zverev closed out his last three matches in straight sets, spending under two and a half hours on court in each, while holding serve across 31 consecutive games. Reflecting on his early difficulties, Zverev noted that the best-of-five format allowed him to “fight back and play best-of-five” and work his way into the tournament.

Chasing a Second Major Title

The 2026 season marks Zverev’s strongest campaign at the Grand Slam level, bringing his match record to 23-2 across the four majors. After finishing as the runner-up at the 2020 US Open, where he surrendered a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem, Zverev captured his first major title at the French Open earlier this year before reaching the Wimbledon final.

Khachanov acknowledged his opponent’s recent trajectory ahead of their upcoming semifinal, noting that Zverev is “coming up really in hot form” after advancing his game this season. Zverev leads their head-to-head record 6-3, which includes a five-set victory at the 2018 French Open and a straight-sets win in the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The Semifinal Matchups

The second men’s semifinal will feature an all-American encounter between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. Historical trends strongly favor top seeds at this stage, with No. 1 seeds holding a 22-1 record in major semifinals and finals when facing unseeded opponents.

Background

The US Open is the final Grand Slam tournament of the annual tennis calendar, held at Flushing Meadows in New York. The 2026 edition saw Alexander Zverev enter as the men’s top seed following his first Grand Slam title victory at Roland Garros earlier in the season.