Zverev downs Khachanov to reach US Open final, closes in second major

11 Sep 2026, 22:37 · CNA · Join

Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 11, 2026 Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates winning his semi final match against Russia's Karen Khachanov REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 11, 2026 Germany's Alexander Zverev salutes Russia's Karen Khachanov at the net after winning their semifinal match REUTERS/Mike Segar

Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 11, 2026 Germany's Alexander Zverev during his semi final match against Russia's Karen Khachanov REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

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NEW YORK, Sept 11 : Alexander Zverev booked his place in the U.S. Open final on Friday, beating Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6(7) 7-6(6) to move a step closer to a second Grand Slam title.

The French Open champion had been pushed to five sets in each of his opening two rounds but has now won four straight matches without dropping a set, as he reached his third consecutive major final.

The victory also sends him to his second title decider at Flushing Meadows, after finishing runner-up in 2020 to Dominic Thiem.

Zverev struck first to take the opening set before carrying that momentum into the second with an early break.

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Khachanov, however, found his range and broke back, ending Zverev's run of 37 consecutive service games without being broken. The unseeded Russian then threatened to swing the match in a gripping tiebreak.

The German held his nerve to close it out after a 14-minute breaker, aided by Khachanov's errors at the crucial moments.

The third set followed a similar pattern, with Khachanov taking a brief lead in the tiebreak before Zverev again fought back to seal his seventh win in 10 meetings against the Russian.

Zverev, who now boasts a 24-2 record in Grand Slam matches this season, will face the winner of the all-American semi-final between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton in Sunday's title match.

Zverev downs Khachanov to reach US Open final, closes in second major

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