No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev outlasts Karen Khachanov to book place in US Open final

(CNN) — Men’s No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev might have won in straight sets but opponent Karen Khachanov put up a mighty fight on Friday in the first US Open semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 29-year-old defeated Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) to book his place in his second career final in Flushing Meadows.

The match got off to an easy start for the Zverev.

He won the first set decisively 6-3 over Khachanov, as the Russian finished with almost twice the amount of unforced errors as Zverev in the opener.

But despite the first set loss, the unseeded 30-year-old maintained his composure, forcing a second set tiebreak with Zverev ultimately prevailing 7-6 (7).

It was more of the same in the third set with both players going back and forth, trading games.

Up 6-5 in the third set and trying to avoid a tiebreak, Zverev went to complain to the umpire about glare from the sun which drew the ire of the crowd on hand. The German went on to lose the game, prompting the second tiebreak of the match.

According to the ESPN broadcast, the glare was coming from the glass on the doors of the suites when they are opened.

With the issues with the apparent glare still affecting Zverev, he quickly fell into a 4-1 hole but rebounded to tie it up at 6-6 with a trip to the final on the line.

After getting to match point by saving two set points, Zverev put away Khachanov and will now look to avenge his first US Open final loss from 2020.

It is also Zverev’s third straight grand slam finals appearance, winning his first career major at Roland Garros in early June.

Zverev understood his potential fate for Sunday’s upcoming final with the crowd most likely going to be pulling for the winner No. 8 seed Ben Shelton and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe.

“I think its going to be incredibly special,” Zverev told ESPN. “Especially these two guys, Frances and Ben, crowd favorites here in New York. Everybody loves them. … Hopefully I can not make the American dream.”

He will now await the winner of the second men’s semifinal.

Up next: An all-American duel between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe

On a somber day in the United States, two Americans will go head-to-head in the second men’s semifinal: Shelton and Tiafoe.

The showdown is one for the history books for a multitude of reasons.

Both are looking to advance to their first career grand slam final, with Shelton or Tiafoe becoming the first American to feature in the men’s US Open final since Taylor Fritz did so in 2024.

One of them could also be the first US man to win the tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003.

The history goes even further with two Black American men are facing each other in a US Open men’s singles semifinal for the first time ever. And no matter who wins, a Black American man will advance to the final for the first time since Arthur Ashe made his last finals appearance there in 1972.

The winner will face Zverev in the men’s final on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

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