Alexander Zverev is headed to his fourth Grand Slam semifinal of 2026, fresh off steamrolling Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open quarterfinals. This run is looking eerily familiar to his Roland-Garros triumph earlier this year, and you have to wonder if the stars are truly aligning for him again.
Zverev Takes Care of Business, Again
The No. 1 seed at Flushing Meadows, Zverev, made quick work of the unseeded van de Zandschulp on Wednesday. He grabbed the win 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 in just two hours and 17 minutes. Van de Zandschulp came into this match with some serious tread on his tires after back-to-back five-set victories in the previous four days, but any hope for an upset faded fast.
Zverev broke him in just his third service game and never really looked back. He did what he’s been doing all season: pairing a lethal first serve with an uncanny ability to force mistakes from his opponent. Van de Zandschulp barely got a sniff at a break, reaching only two break points and winning neither. There was a moment of peril in the second set, sure, when Zverev had to save a set point with his serve, but he responded with a late break to seal it. Even with five double faults in the first set, Zverev still landed 70% of his first serves and won 77% of those points overall, crushing eight aces.
This Draw is Wildly Friendly, and He’s Got to Seize It
Now, Zverev faces another unseeded player, Karen Khachanov, in the semifinals on Friday. Zverev holds a strong 6-3 career record against Khachanov, who only reached his third career Grand Slam semifinal because young standout Alexander Blockx retired in the third set due to a rib injury. On the other side of the bracket? No. 8 Ben Shelton and No. 11 Frances Tiafoe are battling it out after a pair of dramatic five-set wins on Tuesday. It’s hard to ignore how friendly this draw has been for Zverev.
The field has been conspicuously light on top talent like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz isn’t here after his epic loss to Shelton, and Sinner missed the tournament with a knee issue. Zverev’s highest-seeded opponents who *could* have challenged him? No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 6 Alex de Minaur, and No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime all fell out of the tournament by the end of the second round. If Zverev reaches the finals, the strongest opponent he’ll have faced by seed will be No. 21 Luciano Darderi, a clay specialist with a 19-37 hard court record. This entire setup looks a lot like Roland-Garros, where he clinched his first Grand Slam title at age 29 against No. 26 Jakub Mensik and No. 10 Flavio Cobolli.
Zverev is two matches away from repeating his Roland-Garros triumph, and given how things have shaped up, he absolutely has to make this count. He swept all four Grand Slam semifinals this year, but we remember him falling short against a hobbled Alcaraz in the Australian Open semis and getting overwhelmed by Sinner in the Wimbledon final. Friday’s match against Khachanov is everything. Let’s see if he can keep this career year rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply