Alexander Zverev Reaches 2026 US Open Semifinals with Straight-Set Win

Alexander Zverev defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 to become the first player this season to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Top seed Alexander Zverev defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night to advance to the 2026 US Open semifinals. According to ESPN, the German is the only player—male or female—to reach the final four of every Grand Slam tournament this season. Zverev, the reigning French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up, improved his 2026 major match record to 23-2.

The victory followed a historically demanding start to the tournament. Zverev became the first men's No. 1 seed in the Open era to play five-set matches in both the first and second rounds, totaling over 4.5 hours in each of those opening contests. Despite winning his last three matches in straight sets without spending more than 2.5 hours on court in any of them, he has logged 16 hours and 40 minutes of total match time. This marks the longest duration for any man reaching the US Open semifinals since ATP tracking began in 1991.

Zverev has held serve in 31 consecutive games heading into his Friday semifinal against Karen Khachanov. While Zverev holds a 6-3 career head-to-head advantage over Khachanov, their only previous meeting at a major occurred during the 2018 French Open, which Zverev won in five sets. The other semifinal matchup features Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. Historically, No. 1 seeds hold a 22-1 record in major semifinals or finals when facing unseeded opponents.