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Top seed Alexander Zverev held his nerve in two tense tie-breaks to overcome Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) and reach the US Open final for the second time, continuing a breakthrough 2026 season in which he has already claimed his maiden Grand Slam title.
Zverev, who spent almost three hours on court in Friday's semifinal, recovered from deficits in both tie-breaks to defeat the World No. 50 and book his place in his sixth major final, according to the ATP website. The victory also puts the German into his third Grand Slam final of the season, having won the French Open and finished runner-up at Wimbledon. He will face either Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe in Sunday's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Zverev endured a difficult start to his US Open campaign, coming within two points of defeat in the opening round before being pushed to five sets again in the second round. However, the 29-year-old has not dropped a set since, following up wins over Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi and Botic van de Zandschulp with another composed performance against Khachanov. The German made the decisive move late in the opening set, breaking Khachanov for a 5-3 lead before serving out the set. He then carried the momentum into the second set, but Khachanov responded strongly to prevent Zverev from extending his advantage. The second set went into a dramatic tie-break, where Khachanov opened up a 5-3 lead. Zverev, however, produced his best tennis under pressure, winning six of the next eight points to take the breaker 9-7. A 34-shot rally on set point highlighted Zverev's resilience as he moved to within one set of the final. Khachanov, playing in his third Grand Slam semifinal, refused to surrender and stayed with the top seed throughout the third set. Once again, the set was decided by a tie-break. Zverev found himself 4-6 down and faced two set points, but responded with composure to win four consecutive points and close out the match 8-6 in the breaker. The win further underlined Zverev's consistency at the majors this season. He is now 24-2 at Grand Slam tournaments in 2026 and has moved level with Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP Live Race To Turin with 7,950 points. Zverev has also become only the 12th man since 1978 to reach Grand Slam finals on three different surfaces in the same season. The German's resurgence comes after a difficult period at the majors. He lost his first three Grand Slam finals, including a straight-sets defeat to Sinner in last year's Australian Open final, but finally broke through at Roland Garros this season. He followed that maiden major triumph with a run to the Wimbledon final and now has another opportunity to add a second Grand Slam title just months after opening his account. (ANI)
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