Alexander Zverev stormed into the final at the US Open and has a great chance of his second Grand Slam triumph. The French Open winner defeated the Russian outsider Karen Khachanow in the semifinals with strong nerves 6:3, 7:6 (9:7), 7:6 (8:6). He can now become the first German since Boris Becker in 1989 to win the New York men's singles title.
On Sunday, Zverev will play in his second US Open final against the winner of the US duel between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. Then the number one seed from Hamburg wants to do better than in 2020. At that time, he was only two points short of the title against the Austrian Dominic Thiem after leading the set 2-0.
In front of the eyes of former soccer world champions Jérôme Boateng and Ronaldo at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Zverev presented himself in a duel with the world number 50. focused and excelled in the important moments. He had already secured the gold medal against Khachanov in the Olympic final in Tokyo 2021.
Zverev leaves Becker and Stich behind
Through the sixth Grand Slam final of his career, Zverev secured several German records: He is the first male German to reach his second US Open final, leaving Boris Becker, Michael Stich and Gottfried von Cramm behind him. Nobody has made it to three Grand Slam finals in a row before him.
After the triumph at the French Open and the final defeat against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, Zverev could now crown his outstanding season. By reaching the final, he has already overtaken Sinner, who was injured in New York, in the annual rankings - the Italian's top position in the world rankings is also slowly coming within reach.
Celebrities in the stands
Ticket prices for the game plummeted from more than $300 to as much as $40 on the secondary market after the pairing was confirmed. Instead of playing his sixth game in the evening, Zverev had to adjust his rhythm and play for the first time in the tournament in the afternoon at around 27 degrees Celsius. In the stands, celebrities such as US actors Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey watched directly behind the German's bench.
The spectators initially saw a semi-final at a moderate level. Until the middle of the first serve, both players dominated with their strong serves. Suddenly, Khachanow's first service was shaky and Zverev got the break due to a mistake by his opponent. For the first time he shouted his joy to his followers in the stands. After 37 minutes, Zverev won the first set, with Khachanow making more than twice as many unnecessary errors as his opponent.
Zverev slips up - but without consequences
Before the game, Zverev had already been on the pitch for more than 16.5 hours - longer than any other semi-finalist in New York since timekeeping began. However, given three easy three-set victories in a row, the physically strong Hamburg player appeared fresh - followed up with a break at the start of the second round.
Khachanov scolded him wildly, but fought back with his emotions. With a double fault, Zverev gave up his serve for the first time to make it 2-2. After a slip on the baseline, Zverev lay on his back, but was uninjured and was able to laugh about it.
Zverev had strong nerves in the second and third sets
The level of the game rose and things got really exciting for the first time in the tie-break. At first Zverev acted too passively, was already 3:5 behind, but came back. Chatschanow fended off a set point spectacularly, but also lost the second round due to a tricky forehand. Zverev spread his arms and let himself be celebrated.
In the third set, both players confidently served their serves, and again the tie-break had to decide. In the crucial phase, Zverev felt blinded by light from the sun's reflection. “It’s a lottery whether you see the ball or not,” he complained. In the tie-break, however, he fended off two set points with strong nerves and was able to celebrate.
