Top Seed Zverev Reaches US Open Final After Defeating Khachanov

Despite winning in straight sets, the battle was not easy at all. Top seed Alexander Zverev reached his third consecutive Grand Slam final after overcoming tough resistance from Karen Khachanov. The German star entered the title race by defeating Khachanov in the US Open semifinals on Friday.

Zverev, who finished runner-up at Wimbledon after winning the French Open, saved two set points in the final two sets to win the match 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6). He will face the winner of the match between American stars Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe for the trophy on Sunday.

Zverev predicted the match between the two American stars would be “absolutely epic”. But he is aiming to end the American dream of ending a 23-year Grand Slam drought on Sunday. Zverev lost the trophy to Dominic Thiem in a five-set battle in the 2020 US Open final. Recalling that memory, he said, “Hopefully I won’t let the Americans’ dream come true on Sunday.”

The tournament didn’t start off too smoothly for Zverev. He spent 9 hours and 26 minutes on court in a grueling five-set battle in the first and second rounds. But the German gradually found his best form. It took him 2 hours and 57 minutes to defeat Khachanov, ranked 50th. Khachanov had set his sights on a Grand Slam final as the lowest-ranked player since Marcos Baghdatis (54th) at the 2006 Australian Open. However, he was once again disappointed by Zverev after the 2021 Tokyo Olympic final.

“Even though we won in straight sets, the path was not easy at all. He played brilliantly and fought hard,” Zverev said after the match.

Khachanov, who couldn’t take advantage in the first set, quickly fell behind in the second set after a service break. However, he didn’t take long to recover. The Russian star capitalized on a pair of errors from Zverev to earn the first break point. From there, the match went to a tiebreaker. Khachanov saved two set points, but it didn’t work out; Zverev pocketed the second set.

Neither player was able to break serve in the third set. Khachanov led 6-4 in the tiebreaker but missed two consecutive forehands. Zverev hit his 15th ace to seal the win.

On the day of the semi-final, a somber atmosphere was created during the performance of the national anthem to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

The other semifinal features two Americans, eighth seed Ben Shelton and 11th seed Frances Tiafoe. Shelton defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a record-breaking five-set quarterfinal that lasted until 3:34 a.m. They are now looking to end the United States’ 23-year Grand Slam drought since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003.

Meanwhile, the women’s singles final will be held on Saturday. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina will take to the court to stop Belarusian star Ariana Sabalenka’s dream of winning a hat-trick of titles.