Zverev Reaches US Open Semis

Alexander Zverev just booked another US Open semifinal. The top seed beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the final four in New York, where he will face Karen Khachanov, per Reuters.

That keeps the French Open champion as the only Grand Slam winner left in the men's draw. He has now reached the semis at all four majors this year, and Flushing gets a third New York semis look from the 2020 runner-up.

Shaky serve, then the match flipped

Zverev coughed up five double faults early and still broke in the fifth game of the opener once van de Zandschulp leaked forehand errors. The Dutchman pushed in the second set, but Zverev reeled off three straight games late to seize it, then smashed an overhead for an early break in the third and cruised home.

"I think you saw in the first two rounds, I really didn't play well," Zverev said. "I've started playing better throughout the tournament and I'm definitely happy to be in the semi-finals here." He also passed Boris Becker's German men's record with 23 Grand Slam match wins this year (Becker had 22 in 1989).

Khachanov next, Americans on the other half

Khachanov is a Tokyo Olympics gold-medal rematch from 2021. On the other side of the bracket, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton already locked an all-American semis after Tiafoe's five-set escape (see Tiafoe reaches US Open semis). One American is going to the final. Zverev still has to clear Khachanov first.

The Ashe crowd got the version of Zverev that wears opponents down once the early nerves leave. Van de Zandschulp had a real look in the second set and never got the break he needed. That is how a top seed turns a sticky quarterfinal into a straight-sets stamp.

For tennis fans, Wednesday was the top seed finding range after a messy start to the fortnight. Best-of-five gave him room to breathe. Confidence is back. The semis ticket is real. New York has seen this version of Zverev before. Khachanov is the next stress test before anyone talks about Sunday.

Zverev does not take the slam résumé for granted. "I know it can change in a heartbeat in tennis," he said. That is the right energy for a semis week. Van de Zandschulp made him solve a second-set push. The third set answer was clean. Semis secured. Record book updated. Friday's rematch is the next problem to solve.